Daimakaicho Ranma
by Tuisto
Summary: Ah!My Goddess&Hellsing 'X'. Partial UPDATE, CHAPTER 9 WILL BE REVISED IN THE NEAR PRESENT TO ADD CONTENT. Not a pure revenge fic, and not for those of a weak constitution.
1. Chapter 1 An ending for the begining

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Daimakaicho Ranma: an ending for the beginning.

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Disclaimer: Naturally none of the characters in the following fiction are mine. Nor is their use or representation here in any way affiliated with their respective copyright and patent holders. Please send all appropriate character accreditation to:

Ranam1/2; Rumiko Takahashi and Kitty Studios.

Ah! My Goddess; Hiroaki Gohda and AIC Studios.

Hellsing; Kouta Hirano and GONZO Studios.

Author's note, and summary: what you're about to read, is something, rather an idea that's plagued me for quite some time. The basic principle to this idea is that what if Ranma was evil?

As in so many fan fictions, Ranma is portrayed as many things lackwitted, stupid, a hero, a heroine, a scapegoat, naïve, a pervert, and generally all-around good guy/gal hero/champion.

And to be quite honest with you I'm sick of it!

Sure there are fictions where Ranma has been bad, or gone into murderous rage, and even a few that even have Ranma descending into being a demon. But sadly very few of those are any good. And even in these, Ranma has still been, generally good. I would direct you to "The Merger" by deathgeonous, as a fine fic in its own regards, but even there where Ranma and Hild have merged (as the title may suggest) Ranma is still good.

So now if you'll allow me, I shall endeavor to fill the chasm found in Ranma fan fictions, and have Ranma end-up as the song says "Bad to the Bone" as the new supreme demon of the underworld, Hild's replacement. And in case you haven't already guessed at this fan fiction is a fusion between Ah! My Goddess and Ranma1/2, with cameo bit roles from Hellsing to be introduced later

Also in case any of you are wondering, the timeline in this is a Ranma based, two years post the incident with Saffron and the manga end. Why? Because I can!

Also, a decent understanding of Ah! My Goddess, season two episode 17 wherein Urd rebuffs Hild's offer to join her and the demons in Niffelheim would be helpful. Though the first chapter of the fan fiction "Ah My Demoness" by StarEyed2 on fanfiction(dot)net, is close enough for a general understanding if you haven't had a chance to view the episode in question.

Well you've been warned! So, Watch out world as Here Comes Daimakaicho Ranma!

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In a plane of existence on a level of reality far removed from that of Earth, and even farther removed from that of Asgard, a dark swirling vortex of clouds began to amass in the perpetual twilighted sky above the spiritual city of the demons, Niffelheim. As cool winds began galling through the streets and mews of the city, and great purple vapors began to swirl and twist all the while dissipating out through the city, a great many lower demons began to grow fearful of what was approaching and the unknown.

Then there is a sudden thunderous roar and a whirlwind with whipping purple flickering lightning split through the city with a ground shaking force and crashed into the middle of one of the main thoroughfares near the "downtown" of Niffelhiem throwing debris and dust throughout the area.

As the whirlwind dies down returning to the normal soft yet cool and damp breeze that pervades the dimly lit streets of Niffelheim, there standing in the middle of the dissipating dust cloud and slight crater of debris, the Queen to realm herself; Daimakaicho Hild.

Hild has her head down, staring blankly at her slightly charred and still smoking regal purple, black and gold body hugging dress, then thought to herself, '_I must look to be an absolute mess…_' as she sighed uncaring of all the demons and spirits that had stopped all activities to stare at their queen, her singed and smoking chaotically styled white hair and generally disheveled dress from her little parting "tiff" with Urd-chan.

Then the macabre silence was broken as someone somewhere in the assembled crowd coughed politely and asked in a weekly trembling voice "Um… Hild Sama?"

Her head suddenly snapped up still staring blankly but now her gaze was riveted upon the assembled crowd, and when she looked upon them they all flinched in fear and recoiled.

No one said a word after that.

'_Of course they won't speak to You, you're their queen after all!_' Hild thought to herself in exasperation as she turned away from the crowd and began trod down the street paved in the gray and ethereal wails of tortured souls, heading in the familiar route towards her Helheim Palace.

During Hild's quiet solitary walk she can't help but to smile as she sees to her right the Ginnungagap lake park. "It really is more like a small sea rather than a lake isn't it?" Hill said quietly to herself, as even she could just barely see the far shore on the south side of the lake and beyond the shore the fire city of Muspelheim: the 'twin' city of Niffelheim, the city of ice.

For a few brief moments Hild's worries and concerns seemed to just melt away in the unusually serene place in Niffelheim with the calm cool waters and the dominating vista of the base of the Yggdrasil near the east shore and the mighty welling spring Hvergelmir, its waters running through the three massive roots of great and imposing Yggdrasil to then cascade down the waterfall of knives, to then end in the Ginnunagagap lake as a mist in a fantastic kaleidoscopic array of sparkling colors in the perpetual twilight.

Hild wasn't certain how long she was standing there lost in her own reverie of such a simple pleasure as watching the water until she noticed that there was absolutely no one else in the park. Picnic baskets were left unattended and the playing area for the very few demonic children was empty. Turning around she saw why; all the demons and spirits that had been enjoying the park prior to her arrival were waiting on the street behind her, undoubtedly waiting for her to leave. Though none of them said a word, she knew why they were staying back, giving her room, it was fear. Fear of her.

She smiled slightly to the gathered crowd behind her, then one of them, a low-level fear demon by the looks of him screamed in terror shouting that they were all going to die as he ran off. Hild frowned at that and turned sharply on the heel of her white shoes and began walking back towards the castle, angrily and not stopping until she was finally in the quiet of her chambers.

Once in her regal chambers she practically slammed the massive wood door shut then sighed and leaned herself back against it. She stayed that way for a few moments collecting herself then straightened and began to walk into her chambers undressing as she went, as each article of clothing was removed she'd just thrown it in the air where it would audibly #pop!# and vanish, to go from where whence it came.

As she approached her luxurious red silk canopy bed now in the nude save for her headdress, she concentrated slightly on tiny miniscule fraction of her power and was then instantly clad in a violent hued silk night gown, then she gently removed her golden headdress and reverently placed it on a waiting stand by her bed.

She then realized it was far too early to actually rest, so she sighed sitting down on the edge of her bed and thought aloud with a sigh, "it's too quite here… Of course it's _always_ quiet and solitary here…"

She then sighed again, and looked over her shoulder at the shimmering red silk of her bed and tried to think the last time she shared it, the last time she could recall was when she was with HIM, the all father Kami-Sama, in the nights she conceived Urd…

That line of thought abruptly stopped as a wash of feelings of unbidden pain, sadness and anger came rushing to the forefront of Hild's mind, to which she stood up suddenly clutched her head as if in pain and screamed, "Dammit All!" with such force that the light grey polished stone floor she stood on cracked in a spider web array around her feet and blackened to true and utter damnation from Hild's word alone.

For a few moments Hild stood there hands still clutched on her head breathing heavily, then took several deep calming breathes and started to say to herself quietly "Come on Hild get a grip on yourself now. Thinking about how much your own daughter and husband hate you isn't going to be doing you any good! And really who needs them?! You are the queen after all with trillions and trillions of subjects and unfettered cosmic power beyond reason! What could those two possibly that you don't already have?!"

…silence…

She then whispers to herself quietly, "Family and love..."

With that said her shoulders slumped and she began to walk towards her large blood-wood desk carved in relief depicting the tortures of Dante's Ninth Circle of Traitors, her footfalls echoing throughout the nearly empty room, once there she sat down heavily into her large padded leather chair and called on her power to materialize a small bowl of popcorn and called up her Nidhogg terminal to access a view of the recently arrived list, Hell's newest denizens.

As the list slowly scrolls by in the nearly transparent ethereal screen, numbers and statistics of some artificial vampires from London or werewolves from France or the occasional martial artist demigod from rural China (it had been a while since she last checked the list) she reclined in her chair absently munching her popcorn paying the list scrolling by little mind and she thought back to her Urd-chan and her half sisters Balldandy and Skuld all staying in that temple, and more precisely Urd's flat-out denial to join her in Niffelheim, without even hearing why she was making the request at all.

"Oh my Urd chan, my precious baby girl, was it so wrong for me really to want you to come and be with me?!" Hill cried out to herself choking back a sob that threatened to escape her lips.

"Oh Urd, am I really so bad that you wouldn't even hear me out? To think I was going to offer my kingdom, my very realm and power to you my daughter. As out of all the beings in the universe you were one of the few that can understand and appreciate the delicate balance. Light and dark, yin and yang, good and evil, demon and god alike, Urd, you of all would have known this, and been able to take my place..."

With that said Hild let out a tired miserable sigh and leaned forward and placed her elbows on her desk, dropping her face into her hands, and shook with sobs and muted wails thinking of how she'll now have to find her successor elsewhere.

"Yeah right! Like someone that's uniquely qualified of understanding 'Balance' and capable of taking my place is going to just drop into hell any minute now…" Hild said with a bitter laugh and a choked sob once again staring at her newly arrived "guest" list.

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Ranma sighed as she careened wildly through the air looking down at her landing spot; a drainage canal. When she first arrived in Nerima almost 3 years ago, landing in such an abundant source of cold water would have driven Ranma into the foulest of moods until she could have changed back into a "He".

Now though... now it was merely an irritation at getting wet, and then having to wash herself and her silk clothes free of that pungent stagnant water smell.

As Ranma was falling closer to her watery landing spot now she could clearly make out the pile of broken cinderblocks right in the middle of her shallow watery salvation.

'_Heh, this is probably where Nabiki's been having Akane's broken cinderblocks dumped_' Ranma thought darkly as she first struck the water then the pile of debris below the surface.

#SPLASH!#

#CRACK!#

As Ranma then dragged herself out of the canal and on to the low bank, she grimaced at seeing her dislocated shoulder.

For a moment she looked around trying to get her bearings straight so she could head on over to Doc. Tofu's place. But then she could just smack herself as she remembered that Doctor Tofu, one of maybe only three people in all of Nerima who unconditionally liked her, and he skipped town just before she had to leave to go to China and face against Saffron.

So with a scowl on her face Ranma bit her lip to bite back the scream of pain as she realigned her shoulder herself.

As Ranma ascended over the canals embankment wall, she startled a great many of the passersby and shopkeepers that were out for the afternoon with her bedraggled and sodden appearance.

Though Ranma could only snort with disgust as she noticed most of the men probably didn't get a care over how mussed her hair was or muddied and wrinkled her black pants and red shirt were. But rather how her silk garments were clinging to her generous curves.

She sighed at that thought, as it was yet another "_joy_" of her curse to age and mature with her. Yes now nearing 19, Ranma was tall, very tall indeed for any Japanese woman, at 176 cm tall, almost as tall as Soun Tendo with a lithe supermodel figure from years of martial arts training and a bust line that men would have to be gay or dead to not notice.

Then while stretching and getting her bearings from her impromptu flight, she couldn't help but notice that a young man looking up her way at her "charms" had walked straight into a low fire hydrant, and was now on the ground groaning and clutching his groin.

In another life Ranma may have cringed with sympathy for the unfortunate young man, and his groinal pain from walking into such a hard iron object, now though all she can do is mutter "Men are such pigs…" as she stuck her hands in their pockets and started her slow trek back towards the Tendo dojo.

A few moments into her walking Ranma began to ponder her reaction towards that young fellow, as she was rather surprised by how uncaring she was, but also rather how feminine her reaction was to the plight of the ogling young man.

"I guess years of groping perverts, and Tatewaki Kuno would'a changed anyone's outlook…" Ranma mused quietly to herself and had to bite back a growl and grinding of teeth as she thought back to Kuno. Yes after all this time Kuno was still after his "Ossage no Onna", but on Ranma's 18th birthday Kuno went too far. Ranma remembered clearly how HE had been truly enjoying one of maybe only four birthday party's he'd ever had in his life, when Kuno crashed the party with one of his sisters knockout powders, and in a true display of Murphy's Law, cold punch splashed onto Ranma changing him from a male to female. Then of course the next thing Ranma knows, is that SHE'S waking up in Kuno's boudoir on Tatewaki's bed in her underwear

(boxers and muscle-shirt thankfully) with Kuno similarly undressed straddling her, kissing at the nape of her neck and muttering praises of how he'd bring her into the graces of womanhood as his present for her 18th year. Needless to say Kuno ended up in a full body cast in the traction ward of Nerima hospital for two months for his trouble.

For a few moments after her initial angered thought of Kuno, Ranma couldn't help but to reminisce on some of the other more poignant experiences she's had since she first arrived in Nerima as she walked. Things like the cats tongue, the ghost cat, Herb of the Musk and his damnable locking ladle, Saffron of the Phoenix, and the failed wedding…

"Ah, the failed wedding where everything got shot straight to hell…" Ranma thought that to herself of how such a simple thing that she, a He at the time, would have gladly gone through with was ruined by, in her opinion, the petty wants of the other fiancées and cursed martial artists alike…

What was more painful though was how for more than two months after that, Akane would say hardly a word to anyone, and seemingly took great lengths to avoid Ranma while also sneaking covert glances, that weren't so covert to Ranma's trained eye.

Ranma could only blush prettily as the clear memory of how Akane had dragged Ranma to sit under a tree in a park one day after school, and had their first actual talk since before the wedding…

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"Geeze what's your problem tomboy that ya' gotta' drag me out here after school like this…" Ranma said with one of his classic grins and lack of tact. As not more than five minutes ago the school bell had rung and Akane had grabbed his hand and immediately began running at full tilt to one of the local districts smaller parks, with Ranma flapping like a flag behind her.

After seating herself on the ground beside a tree, Akane then patted the ground next to her as an invitation to Ranma to sit. After Ranma had ungracefully plopped down onto the ground, hands behind his head and leaning against the tree, seemingly uncaring of the world around him, Akane turned to face him a determined expression on her face.

After several moments Ranma was beginning to become nervous under Akane's hard scrutiny, so he said in typical Ranma fashion, "Yo, Akane what's the matter ya' sick or somethin'?"

But then surprised Ranma was that instead of being angry and shouting at Ranma for being stupid or insensitive, Akane broke into a bout of giggles, then said,. "No, nothing like that. I guess this is just really hard for me..."

Akane then sighed and looked at Ranma and asked, "Ranma at the wedding, would you've gone through with it?"

For a moment Ranma looked confused by the question and said, "Well yeah sure I would have. It's a matter of honor and all..."

Akane then let out a tired sigh and said, "Ranma, forget about honor here for a minute. Would you have really gone through with it for Me? For Love?"

Ranma then sat up straight and squirmed uncomfortably and thought, '_come on you idiot say it! You know it's true! You know you know you love her! This is it! So tell her already!_' With his mind made up Ranma faced Akane, a determination in his eyes similar to her own and said, "Yes Akane I do love you."

For a moment Akane smiled warmly at him, and then there is a look of sadness and she turned her head away to look straight up into the clear blue sky, still looking at the clouds in the blue sky Akane said softly, "I can't, I'm sorry Ranma I can't... just can't love you... like that..."

After those words had left her mouth, Ranma lurched forward a pain in his chest as though he has been punched, feeling sick he turned his eyes towards Akane a pleading in them, to find an understanding.

Akane then continued seemingly unaware of how her words had affected Ranma, and said with a softer bitter chuckle, "You know Ranma, back in the days of the hentai-hoard, when I'd have to shout 'I HATE BOYS!' when going to school, and then had to fight off 20 to 40 boys of the school?..." Ranma nodded dumbly to this, but Akane didn't really notice as she continued "... well Ranma it seems I really did hate boys..." she then lets a tired sigh out "…gosh this is so hard, Ranma but what I'm getting to is that I think… I think that I'm… ah… um… I'm… I'm a lesbian... I think…"

For a few moments Ranma silently internally boggles at this… what-ever the heck this is, then said in a shaky sputtering voice "You mean, that you're a, you're really a…"

Akane then fed up with his lame sputtering says "Yes Ranma I'm a lesbian, I prefer women, a dyke, a carpet muncher, riding the fence, and last but certainly not least a Pervert!"

Ranma then absorbed this and said in a hurt tone, "So this is why, you and me and… you don't… love…me?"

Akane then whirls around to face Ranma shaking her head frantically and says "No! That's not what I meant at all!..." Akane then took a deep breath and grabbed Ranma by the shoulders, looking him right in the eye, "... no you baka, I do love you Ranma! I… I… I love that redheaded girl that first came into my home over the shoulder of the wet panda! That insufferably sweet redheaded girl who beat me in that first sparring match the dojo! That naïve girl who always tries to do the right thing no matter what! It's you! You Ranma, are the _girl_ I love! The _person_ I love!" Akane then reached into her school bag and pulled out a clear plastic bottle of clean crisp and cool natural spring water, just plain water, and presented it to Ranma saying in a voice trembling with anxiety "Ranma, would you be a girl for me? A pervert for me? You know, perverts together?"

Ranma then looked to her face and in her eyes, then looked down to the offered bottle, then took the bottle standing up he walked away looking straight down and Akane. Akane fidgeted with a growing nervousness thinking, '_You Baka! You told him all this now he hates you! She'll hate you! No one will want to be with a deviant pervert like you! Baka! I shouldn't have said anything at all! Baka! Baka! Baka!_'

Meanwhile Ranma was thinking, '_Should I? I mean it's still Akane after all! So what if she prefers my girl side? If we'd gotten married she have to face that part of me anyway… but this way its open… and she's really taking a risk laying it all out like that, the way she did. And I am pretty comfortable in that girl's body now. Not to mention HOT… And what did Nabiki say all the time ago, something about "interesting combinations" and "never being bored"…?_' Ranma then looked down to the nervous face of Akane smiling, he then unscrewed the cap of the water bottle and lifted it over his face and said to Akane, "For you Akane anything… I'll do it…"

And so he poured cold water over his face, changing himself from tall black haired boy Ranma to the slightly shorter than Akane redheaded girl Ranma. By now Akane had moved to tears of happiness as she jumped from her seat on the ground and rushed up and grabbed the shorter redhaired girl in a fierce hug crying tears of happiness and muttering "Thank you's" to Ranma.

Ranma just held Akane for a few moments until the dark-haired girl quieted down and they're just hugged peacefully, she then said quietly, "I'll do it on just one condition." She then felt Akane stiffen in her grasp so she pushed away from the hug but held Akane at the shoulders. Akane was now having butterflies in her stomach as to what this possible condition could be, when Ranma said in a playful tone, "My one condition Akane, is that I'M the tomboy of the relationship!"

Akane just stared blankly at Onna-Ranma for a moment, and Ranma stared right back with a cocky grin, then the silence of the moment was broken as they both broke into a fit of giggles, Akane then saying through her humor, "Sure Ranma, you can be the tomboy!" This of course brought out another bout of giggles.

Then Ranma had a wicked idea as she then brought her arms around the taller girl's neck, and leaned in for a quick kiss on the lips. But was more shocked when Akane grabbed her in tight, and devoured her in the kiss, parting her lips and forcing her tongue into Ranma's mouth.

Moments, minutes, hours later Ranma wasn't certain, they both broke the kiss coming up for air and looked into the other's eyes and simultaneously said, "Wow!"

Only then did they look around themselves and their surroundings to notice a group of young teenage boys had obviously been playing frisbee had all passed out from nasal blood hemorrhaging…

Akane then looked to Ranma and said blushing sheepishly, "I guess we were quite the sight…"

To which a Ranma replied with a grin, "Yeah but who cares? Men can be such idiots after all…"

Akane then stared at Ranma, a grin slowly creeping across her face, and said, "Yeah that's true, but sometimes they do get things right…" with that they both broke into more giggles, until suddenly Akane noticed how late it was getting and said, "Oh-my-gosh! Look how late it's gotten! We'd better get back to the dojo before we miss supper!" Ranma then said a quick "Right!" And the two girls began walking towards the park's western exit, heading right into the sunset, neither noticing they were holding each others hand…

- - - - - -

Ranma is then broken out of reminiscing over one of her favorite pleasant memories as she noticed she's arrived back at the Tendo dojo. Walking into the gate she noticed the previous signs of where the shit hit the fan, but also the new evidence of the fan hitting back, of the combined Tendo and Sãotomé clans, as well as an irate Ryoga, a pissed Ukyo, and a troupe of not so happy Amazon's standing in the yard, obviously waiting for her. But her gaze is immediately drawn to the tear stained face of Akane. '_She's even cute when she's cryin'…_' Ranma thought she stared at the more matured and filled out Akane.

Ignoring everyone else for a moment Ranma looked to Akane and says with concerned voice, "Hey Akane, what's wrong? They didn't do nothing to ya' did they?"

Akane looked up to face Ranma smiling briefly before it turns back into the pained frown and she mumbles out, "I'm sorry Ranma, but I can't, we that is…"

Akane is then interrupted in her muttering by Soun Tendo saying almost angrily, "Akane, say it! Say to Ranma that we can NOT allow this… this depraved perversity in our noble house!"

Just as Ranma was about to interject, Genma spoke in a fake tone of hurt, "Yes! Well said Tendo! Woe is me for having such a deviant child! You shame your father boy!" Then before Ranma could get a word in edgewise Nodoka spoke up in a disapproving voice, "Yes Ranma, Genma and Soun-kun are most correct! Whilst it is a very manly fantasy to watch two women enjoy each others company, it is certainly NOT manly for you to be engaged in such deviant affairs!"

Ranma could only roll her eyes at her mother's words, as ever since she found out that "Ranko Tendo" was in fact her son, and had declared the Seppuku Pledge fulfilled. She's been ten times worse at the whole manliness bit… '_your not sitting very manly Ranma!', 'Ranma are you sure you ate enough? It's not very manly to go hungry!', 'Ranma, don't use a handkerchief! Wipe your nose with your sleeve! It's the manly thing to do!' _and of course…_'Ranma, are you getting enough manly sex? You have all those pretty girls around ready to service you, you know!_'

"Yeah Saotome, I knew my baby sister was a hardcore dyke, but that you'd go along with it? Jeez, now that's just sick!" Nabiki said with grimace, to which Kasumi in a scolding tone just said, "Nabiki! That wasn't nice!"

Before the Amazons, Ryoga or Ukyo could speak, Ranma had had enough!

"I'm so sick of all of you!" Ranma exploded "You're all hypocrites!" she said pointing to the adults of the group, "You three morons kept pushing me an' Akane together for 3 bloody years! What'd you expect after we were married!? Huh! I'm gonna' have this curse for the rest of my life! Did y'all expect Akane to ignore my girl side for the next 50-60-70 YEARS!?"

"Now Son, raising your voice to your Mother is hardly manly! And your curse is irrelevant! It is after all your manly duty to marry Akane as a man and produce heirs for the school!" Nodoka reprimanded primly, confident in her argument.

"That's the gist of it, isn't it _Nodoka_?..." Nodoka flinched, then glared at back. "…The happiness of Akane and me is _irrelevant_ to all of you, so long as you get an heir. For cryin' out loud we're just breeding stock to you people! And don't you dare scold me_Mother_ for raising my voice, and pointing you all out for who you all really are! After all, what kind of "mother" willingly gives up their own 5 year old child, and then has a death pact against said child should he not meet some vague notion of manliness! And for the bloody last time Nodaka, I've got bigger tits that YOU!, so do I look like your "SON"? NO! Would it really kill you to at least use my name or call me "daughter"? Ranma took a deep breathe and turned towards Akane and said, "Come on Akane, back me up here! Are we gonna' let them trample us down like this! Remember "Perverts together?!"

Akane lifted her head up to look at Ranma, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks and said in a voice filled with pain, "I remember, but I'm… I'm so sorry Ranma… I can't… daddy's threatened to cast me out Ronin, unless I marry you as a boy! We can't… not like we have been… together… sorry…"

Ranma paled as the implications all started pouring in.

This was apparently the point at which the peanut gallery had also had enough, starting with Shampoo shouting bubbly, "Ai-yah! Airen like kissy-kissy girl with girl?! No be with Kitchen-destroyer and be with Shampoo! We do good fun-fun-time at night in bed!"

With that Cologne and Mousse slapped their faces, and groaned, each for different reasons. Cologne was thinking, "_Oh Great-Grand-daughter, did you have to say that so loud, or so stupidly! Ancestors save me…_'

While Mouse thought piteously, '_I knew it, it just figures that the girl I like, likes the same things I do… other girls!_'

Then Ryoga shouted angrily, "Ranma! How DARE you drag deer sweet innocent Akane into your sick perversions! How low can you go! Enemy of women, Die!"

"Shut-up pork-butt, this don't concern you!" Ranma shouted back to Ryoga, then turned to face Ukyo, still feeling the hit from that spatula earlier in the day that sent her flying through the air and into the drainage canal, and asked with some heat in her voice "And what about you Uc-chan? You've been awfully quite here?"

Ukyo turned her head to face Ranma, and Ranma flinched at the shear amount of hate in the Okonomiyaki chef's eyes, as she opened her mouth and spoke venomously "You! Ranma are The Worst person I know! All you do is take, take, take… my fathers Yattai cart! 10 years of my life! My Childood! My Femininity! And my Heart! And you just kept me hanging! Leaving me to be that bitches plaything!" Ukyo that paused her tirade to unsling her battle spatula and said in a quieter voice "… for all of that I can never forgive you!"

With that Ranma has a series of pained expressions cross her face before settling into a calm visage, and turned back to face her parents and Soun, only to see them all smiling. Nodoka then spoke in a sneering victorious tone, "Give up Ranma, and do the natural and manly thing and marry Akane, and sire grandbabies. It's for your own good… and really you don't have any other choice."

Before Ranma could speak, the as of now silent Cologne coughed politely drawing attention to her and said, "Actually, in case you hadn't forgotten Nodoka Saotome-san, Ranma most certainly does have a choice in the matter. As even though Ukyo seems to have dropped out of the running…" she made a hand motion to Ukyo who was running a slip-stone on the edge of her combat-spatula, as puffs of steam flared from her nostrils. "… there is still the matter of the Amazon engagement, and it seems Shampoo is more than willing to bend to Ranma's affixation of a female to female relationship." To this Shampoo only nodded vigorously, and 'bounced' herself…

To this Nodoka just sneered and said haughtily, "I can assure you Elder Cologne, no child of mine will be with a primitive Chinese-bimbo, and much less in such a deviant grandbady-less relationship! And that is final!" Nodoka then turned to Ranma, to notice she was backing away… "Come here Ranma, and we'll call a priest and have you and Akane married before the moon rises. It'll be romantic, and it's for your own good after all!"

Ranma looked across the yard to see faces of people she thought she knew thought she trusted… thought she loved as a resolve settled into her stomach, she carefully considered her next words, as she spoke in a low, almost menacing voice, "Is this how it's goin' ta' be then, is it? All the choices in my life made by you all, out of my control? Well, as far as I'm concerned "Mom" and Cologne… you can both take your offers and your plans for me, and shove 'em up your old dry cunts till you choke on them!"

Nodoka was absolutely livid in rage as she shouted, "You no-good ungrateful Brat! After all I've done and sacrificed for you… How Dare you speak to your mother that way! I Demand an apology!" she then started to grasp the hilt of her omnipresent katana.

And Cologne was no better, "While our plans for you Son-in-Law are different, I copy your mothers sentiments, and must force you to apologize at once!"

"Apologize? Apologize?! For what?! No, You "Mother" can apologize to ME! For sending me off with that fat moron of a man for 10 years to be tortured! Apologize to ME! Apologize for the Neko-ken! For starving! For Losing my Friends! And You Old-Ghoul! Apologize for the Cats-Tongue! For the humiliation! The lure of so-called 'cures', The Death Threats! Apologize for that!"

"I will not apologize for your training, Son/Son-in-Law!" Nodoka and Cologne said simultaneously, then glared at each other.

Akane then spoke with a pleading voice, tears still lightly streaking her face, "Ranma! Just apologize! We can even be married! We'll be together anyways no matter what! Just do what your mother asks!"

Ranma just turned to Akane, smiling and said, "You know Akane, that sounds really good… really good. But this is a matter of principal, a stake of honor. We've never been given a choice, but when we do finally chose for ourselves. They come along and knock it down away from us. Do you wanna' live like that Akane? Never making choices for your life? Always having "her"…" she made a gesture to Nodoka "… or them…" another gesture to Genma, Soun, and Cologne "… making all the choices in your life!"

"Brave words Boy! You got anything to back it up? Or are you gonna' hide behind your Chinese-bimbo-whore!" Genma sneered at Ranma, and leered at Shampoo.

Shampoo then went purple in rage and shouted, "Panda-man no insult Shampoo! Shampoo strong warrior of Joketsozucku Amazon!"

To which Genma just snorted and said mockingly "Bring it on little girl! Maybe when Ranma is finished playing with dolls, she'll fight too!"

With that chaos erupted, as Genma jumped to avoid a bonbori strike to the solar-plexus from Shampoo. Ryoga and Ukyo, stole each other covert glances and nodded. In unison they attacked!

Ryoga in a rush feinted to the left, and Ukyo went center for Ranma.

Ranma jumped and pirouetted in mid air to avoid Ukyo's over-head swing of her weapon, when she landed she was but a few feet from Nodoka, who said through grinding teeth. "Ranma. Apologize. Now!" as she then began to draw her katana from its sheath, Ranma said back, "Ain't gonna' happen "mom"." Sneering with contempt, at the "mom" reference. And then had to backflip away as Nodoka growled deep in her throat in rage and had made a sword-sweep that would've cut Ranma from shoulder to hip.

Before Ranma could orient herself, she had to dodge Ryoga's ki-empowered umbrella as he brought it down to crush her head with a loud "Kiah!"

By now Ranma could see that the three Tendo sisters were in the middle of the melee, and that Happosai was on the porch, watching. So Ranma called out getting his attention "Hey! Old-Letch, you just gonna' sit there or what?!"

To which Happosai smiled thinly and said shaking his head, "Sorry my boy, I've got to sit this one out. Free will has to be maintained this-time… good-luck though!"

Before Ranma could ponder Happosai's rather enigmatic reply, she had to duck and roll to avoid Cologne's whirling cane. Cologne then said, "Fight back Ranma! I trained you better than this! Apologize, Fight-back or Die!" And as soon as she said 'die' Cologne used the 'Splitting-cats-hairs technique, and blurred into several seperate Cologne's all attaking with the cane, as Ranma couldn't avoid all the possible strikes, she began deflecting with her arms, large angry bruises forming along their lengths. When she then heard Ryoga shout, "Damn you Ranma! Don't ignore me!" And then had to bite her lip hard as she felt a bandana-ken imbed itself in her left shoulder, only to watch the other three spin harmlessly away.

Then she tucked and leaped away from the multiple Colognes, as she knew that to face her like that was a one way path to defeat. To then turn around and literally bump into Soun, and nearly fall on her ass, as he pushed forward. "Ranma! Marry my Akane!" Soun bellowed with his demon-head trick, Ranma instead just roundhouse kicked his side causing him to fall to his knees on the ground wheezing.

Before she could press her advantage she was tag-teamed by Genma and Nodoka.

"Son, Apologize!" Nodoka said in mid sword-strike.

"Boy, Marry Akane!" Genma said as he through a punch for her face. Which Ranma grabbed and used as a spring point, launching herself over Genma to land behind him, where she shouted, "Katchu-tenshin-Amaguriken!" and began raining blows down hard and fast on Genma's backside, mostly around the kidney's. Successfully felling the big man, as he coughed out blood, but still sneering at her, then she felt it… And tucked and rolled to avoid the downward Spatula that would've cleaved her down the middle.

Then Ukyo said in rage, trying to pull her weapon free of the earth it was embedded in "Stand still and die already!!"

Standing once again, Ranma just wipped a little trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth, and said, "Sorry Ukyo, but that'd mean I'd lose. And Ranma Saotome never loses!"

"Damn you Ranma! DIE!... Shi-Shi-Houkodan!" Ryoga shouted to the still-standing pigtailed girl. In a flash of insight Ranma realizes that she can dodge, but that'd leave Akane in the path of the purple depression based chi attack. Choices made she bagan pumping her legs running, grabbed Akane up, and flipped to the side in a tucked roll, with Akane screaming in her arms.

Letting go of the now hysterical girl. Ranma once again engages the battle with her own shout of "Moko-Takabisha!" aimed right for Ryoga and Genma, only to see it deflected at the last moment by a series of Vacuum-blades from Genma. Though Genma was a terrible aim, as there is a scream… From Akane! She sees some of them heading right at her!

Ranma rushes in, praying to get to her love before the deathly curved lights of ki-compressed air slice into her. Just as Akane is pushed out of the way by Ranma, Nodoka readies her sword at a high arcing-swing, and Ryoga launches several more bandana-ken, as Ukyo had finished throwing three of her Spatu-kens.

Time slowed to a crawl for Ranma, as she watched Akane fall to her butt, then completely to her back, as she then notices she's in a kill zone: Four separate deadly attacks all from various vectors, unavoidable.

Ranma then thought, "_Hey, always knew it'd end, sothin' like this…_"

Then there is a pain in her neck, stomach, left leg, and right arm.

For a moment all the battles cease, as they all notice Ranma has stopped moving, all fighters seemingly unaware of just exactly what happened.

Then the combatants, Genma, Nodoka, Soun, Shampoo, Cologne, Ukyo and Ryoga, and the spectators, Mousse, Kasumi, Nabiki, Happosai, and Akane up close and personal, could only stare as thin red lines formed on Ranma's neck, on her right arm, across her belly, and across her left leg above the knee. Ranma then smiled right at Akane. She opened her mouth to speak. But only blood came forth, lots of dark inky blood, she then lifted her left arm towards Akane, and made a waving "Bye" gesture, as Akane notices a tear slide down Ranma's cheek, Akane could only screem, as she watched Ranma fall apart.

To all the observers, it seemed to happen in slow motion. First Ranma's right arm falls with a wet plop to the ground, then her left leg fell away to land with a moist plop, then in a horrific display Ranma began to tilt to her right, with that her upper torso began to fall away from her hips, intestines trailing out as she fell. And just before her upper torso hits the ground, her head rolls off and separates from her neck. To land with a dull, wet thud, in the blood saturated earth.

Immediately, Kasumi, Nabiki and Shampoo begin to vomit, as Akane wails out mournfully "RANMA!"

Everyone else is too shocked to move, though Genma, Nodoka, Ryoga and Ukyo all share a silent glace that communicated, "We Killed Her…"

The sound was only broken then by the sound of Nodoka dropping her sword from lifeless fingers as a look of horror crossed her face.

Then there is wind, more than a breeze, but not strong, but very… VERY cold, then there is a crackling electric sound, and slowly, very slowly not but a few feet from the remains of Ranma's chopped-up corpse, a blackness begins to form. From a small dot, a dark pinprick in the world of reality right on the verdant Tendo lawn, then growing larger, and larger, until it is a meter-wide sucking maw of angry blackness, from which then black wisps of smoke and dark light slither out from, snaking their way to Ranma's corpse. Then they dive in and through the corpse! Seconds later they pull back from the corpse, but now they're coiled around a grey, lifelessly colored and nude, but intact ethereally transparent Ranma-chan, flailing in her bonds, and obviously screaming, but no sound came forth.

Then there is a male voice renting the air with a boom , so laden with malice it made all those within hearing range cringe and feeling dirty down to their very soul, as is spoke, "Nodoka Saotome! The Wish conditions have been met! For the Cost of the Eternal Soul of Ranma Saotome, The Bargain is fulfilled! And now I, Th'rignal claim my lovely new property!"

With that, there was a tremendous vacuum of wind heading back into the blackness in the ground, and the black wisps constraining Ranma began to pull her into it. A pleading formed on her face, as twin trails of ghostly gray tears begain to stream down her colorless face as she is dragged to the emptiness. She is screaming something, but there is no sound. She then gets a hand free of the tendrils as she's being pulled down, and grabbed at the ground around the hole in reality, but the pulling is too strong for her insubstantial grabbing, leaving only five shallow gouge marks in the soft earth as she's dragged into the emptiness, finally all that's left above the hole in reality, is Ranma's fear filled face, which then turns into a visage of absolute fury seeing her family, friends, lover, and killers, all doing nothing to help her as her face is pulled into the blackness, leaving only her arm sticking up and flailing to slowly sink below through the same blackness.

Then there is nothing.

When just as it came, cold wind began to swirl over the void, a small twister forming, and pulling at the blackness, and pushing, pulling downward, and the darkness shrank, smaller and smaller, still with a small whirlwind over it, until it was but a speck.

The wind died suddenly, no lights, no sound, just stopped without fanfare. Revealing a patch of vegetation free black soil, in a perfect circle, with only 5 thin marks in the soil as testament as to what happened.

Minutes pass, and there is silence in the Tendo dojo. Only three beings there knowing the significance, of just exactly what happened, and only one, knowing the horror that awaits the young soul of Ranma.

Then the attention is drawn back to the remains of Ranma, as Nodoka slowly approaches the cooling chunks of a body of the daughter she never had. Looking down on the mangled flesh, she says with absolutely no inflection, in a dead voice to no one in particular, "Call the police… tell them there's been a training accident…"

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Tuisto.


	2. Chapter 2 Rude Awakenings

Disclaimer on page 1.

I'd like to thank "deathgeonous" of "The Rebirth of the Daimakaicho" of "The Merger" rewrite fame, for volunteering to be the first beta reader of this fiction, and his diligent testing to make certain it won't cause insomnia, drowsiness, unexpected multiplanular extra-dimensional travel, seizures or mass-hysteria. If you experience any of these symptoms, please discontinue use of "Daimakaicho Ranma" immediately…

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Daimakaicho Ranma: Rude Awakenings…

Chapter 2.

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(The fight Ranma's POV)

Ranma was facing Cologne and fairing poorly, '_Dammit! She's right, at this rate I'll lose! Why can't I fight back!?_' Ranma thought as she began to pull away as she felt the stinging pain of a bandana-ken in her left shoulder.

She was then off-balanced in her landing, as Soun with his demon head trick had entered her landing spot… shouting… something. With a quick roundhouse kick, she kicked at his side with enough force to put him to his knees and give her room to maneuver.

Then before she could catch her second wind, her parents were right in front of her, '_Damn! No matter what, I can't hurt mom!_' Ranma thought as in a flash she recalled the happy day that the seppuku pact was burned, and she they could finally get to know each other…

Just as Ranma finished roughing up Genma, she felt it… And tucked and rolled to avoid the giant spatula, turning she saw the face of Ukyo in rage shouting at her to die… then there's a flash and she can't help but to think of the five year old girl crying along the road being left behind, then the smiling face of the Okonomiyaki master fiancée as she whipped up another "Ran-chan" special…

Ranma is only distantly aware of shouting back, "Sorry Ukyo, but that'd mean I'd lose. And Ranma Saotome never loses!"

She then noticed Ryoga charging up a ki attack… the enraged face of Ryoga holding the ball of destructive energy is so… alien, so distant from the shy, directionally lost boy at the all boy's school clamoring for the last bread, or the stammering nervous boy constantly bringing gifts from far away exotic lands for Akane…

'_Dammit all! These are my friends! My family! I can't fight 'em for real! I've gotta' find a way to stop the fightin'!_'

'_Wait, what am I forgettin'?...'_ (mental pause) '…_AKANE!_' Ranma thought as she saw that Akane was in the line of fire and would be hit if she'd just dodge the ki-attack. Years of fighting instinct in overdrive, she ran, sprinting to get Akane out of the path of destruction before it's too late….

'_Gotcha'!_' Ranma mentally crowed as she released Akane, who she's vaguely aware is screaming, as she whirled about to fire off her own "Moko-Takabisha!" right back at Ryoga and Genma. Then Ranma's eyes widened as she noticed the odd stance of Genma…

'_No! The fat fool wouldn't use the Yama-sen-ken to deflect… he can't! There's too many non-fighters pops! Don't do it!_' Ranma's internal contradictions go unanswered as she saw that was exactly what he used to deflect her ki attack, as the glowing yellow curves of light and super-compressed vacuum clash into and effectively deflect then dissipate the moko-takabisha.

Then a scream… '_That's Akane's scream!_' Ranma shouted mentally, to then see Akane… and to see that Akane knew that a stray vacuum blade is heading right for her, and all she can do is watch… '_Not if I can help it!_' Ranma vowed in her mind, and in an instant flash of speed Ranma is there, and knocked Akane down to the ground hard. To then look up and see right in front of her face, in an oncoming sideways stroke the steel of the Saotome family katana… Her peripheral vision then picks up several whirling yellow bandana-kens coming from her left, and three spatu-kens from her right… '_Don't forget about the vacuum blade at your back Ranma!_' she laughed to herself then thought, '_Hey, always knew it'd end, somethin' like this…_'

Then there's the pain, excruciating, mind numbing pain in her leg, arm, belly and neck. She opened her mouth to say, '_sorry…_' to Akane, but can only wheeze out a trickle of blood from her lips, so smiling, she just raises her left arm to wave "bye" to Akane as a lone tear escapes her control and slides down her cheek. Then there's nothing.

Suddenly the next thing Ranma knew was pain, unlike pain in life, this is pain of the very mortal soul itself, then Ranma is ripped from the darkness and into the fading evening light of the Tendo yard once more, to see Kasumi, Nabiki, and Shampoo emptying their stomachs, and Akane wailing at her in hysterics, and the horrified visage of her mother.

Then she's all too aware of the constricting snake-like ropes of dark light holding her above the four mangled chunks of her corpse, seeing such a horror as her own decapitated head, Ranma began screaming hysterically and valiantly tried to struggl with her ethereal bonds.

Then there is THE voice, and Ranma feels violated by the grating voice alone; then the words it spoke register to her mind… "I'm dead… My Soul? MY OWN MOTHER BARTERED MY SOUL!?" Ranma screamed out loud in rage, not noticing that the others… the living… didn't seem to be able to hear it.

She then noticed that her bonds were pulling her towards a rounded dark void in the soil of the earth, tortured wails and promises of pain springing forth from it, as the hands of spirits paw around the dark angry maw as the black wisps pull and pull and pull. She's flat on her belly now, feet and legs already disappearing into its depths. In a desperate attempt she tries to grab at the ground, but in dismay she noticed her ghostly fingers can find no purchase in the soft ground and are only leaving thin gouge marks. She's dimly aware that there are tears streaming down her face, as she admits to herself that she's afraid… no beyond afraid, she realized she's petrified in absolute fear.

Then just as her face is being drawn in and down, she caught a glimpse of all those she loves. Her parents, her teachers, her friends and family, all are just gapping at her! In a blink of an eye, her fear inexplicably evaporated to suddenly turn into a hot blinding rage, a rage one thousand fold greater than any she experienced in life as she shouts at them "Killers! You're all my killers! Ranma Saotome doesn't lose! I'll get you! All of …" she was unable to finish as she was finally and fully pulled into the black and fiery abyss and lost consciousness…

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With a sharp gasping intake of air Ranma was forced back into full consciousness, and immediately regretted it as she was in pain, lots of pain she realized as there was a cold dull throbbing seeping through her entire body. She then noticed she was nude and flat on her stomach on a cold, slimily damp stone floor, and as a girl with "charms" as generous as hers were, was possibly more uncomfortable than the pain.

So with an effort and a grunt of exertion she rolled over to her side and then opened her eyes. Only to screw them shut tight immediately, from the inrushing light from in front of her. Opening her eyes again more slowly this time, allowing her eyes the chance to adjust to the light, she sees she's in front of a large open balcony in what must be a high-rise as the panoramic view of the burning city below was quite expansive…

'_Wait a sec… burning city? FIRE!_' Ranma thought as she jumped to her feet ignoring the crippling pain as natural instincts to avoid the fire were the paramount thought in her head, she then turned to find an exit, only to bump right into a tall very bishonen young man, with soft purple eyes and long shocked-electric-teal hair in a ponytail, dressed in a blindingly bright neon-purple full body cloak that seemed to shimmer like water.

"Hey! Get outta' the way! There's a fire and we gotta' get outta' here!" Ranma shouted to the man… who was now chuckling softly?

He then opened his mouth to smile and the bishonen appearance gained a flaw as rows upon rows of jagged yellow teeth were revealed. He then spoke, fully shattering the bishonen mystic as his voice was a cracking amalgam of a serpentine lisp and a smoker's choking-rasp as he said, "Be calm Ranma Saotome, look at the fire. Notice how it does not consume the buildings or inhabitants?"

Doing as the infinitely creepy bishonen man said she turned back to look out the balcony, squinting to look past the bright flames, to see he was right!

It was as though the buildings WERE the fire, and what looked like people able to pass right through! Unnerved at this, Ranma turned back to look into the darkness of the room to see the yet unnamed man still standing there smiling… or maybe it's smirking?

Remembering she's naked and in front of a man, Ranma "eeps!" and quickly covers her chest and crotch as best she can with her hands and blurts out.

"How?! Why? Who are you? And were am I anyways?!"

To which the man just chuckles some more for a moment and says in his rasping voice "My, aren't you the inquisitive one… Well Ranma Saotome out of Nodoka Saotome by Genma Saotome, I do suppose it is only polite to introduce myself…" He pauses to really smirk at her and continued, "… I am the third class limited license Shikima demon, Th'rignal, we are in my tower in the Keep of my Master, the great Prince Sith in the Fire city Muspelheim. And you!..." he points at her, "… are now my property!" With that he laughs a laugh the chills Ranma to the bone.

Backing away from the crazy creepy bishonen man, Ranma raises a shaky finger to point at him accusingly and mumbles out "You!... You're the voice from before in the yard!"

Instead of answering her, he just looks her over amusedly, then says, "Yes my dear, your quite observant… that was I… I've been told I do have a flair for being overly dramatic in such things, give a good show and all that…" He smirked again seeing her backing away into the darkness of the room and away from him and said, "… Oh Ranma where do you think you're going? I'll have none of that… Come, stand by me and watch the city burn for a moment…" with that he made a sweeping hand gesture towards himself, and Ranma stiffened as though she'd been shocked, as a unseen force gradually pulled her rigid form back to stand beside him, facing the city ablaze.

A few moments later, Ranma gulped nervously, and said through a shaking voice "How? Why me?"

The man identified as Th'rignal turned his gaze towards her, utter glee dancing in his maddened purple eyes as he said, "Why I thought you'd never ask!..." with a flourish of hand movements there is a flash of sickly puce-green light, and when the flash subsides there in his hand is a small scroll. "In the twenty-seventh year of Nodoka Saotome, I think you would've been around 7 at the time, I paid her a little visit at night as I tend to do with women on Midgard every couple of years, for a one-night stand if you will…" he paused to smile at the disgusted look on Ranma's face and continued, "… well, she certainly wasn't my best, but she seemed most thoroughly enthralled afterwards, quite the unusual occurance really. She said I was very "Manly" for her…" he laughed at that like it was a private joke, "… and before I could leave her, she pleaded with me for a wish! Can you believe it? Pleaded! With ME of all beings!" with that he truly cackled.

Ranma knew she'd regret it, but asked, "What… what was her wish?"

Calming slightly he said "Ah Yes! The Wish! So wonderfully vague! It reads…" he cleared his raspy throat, "… I Nodoka Saotome, wish for my son, Ranma Saotome to be drawn to, and attracted to lovely young women where ever he goes in life!" with that he burst into more hacking peels of laughter, and through his laughter said, "And the best part! Haha! The best part is when I asked for payment in this wish! Haha! She chickened out! Haha! And so as your rightful legal mother and guardian, offered your soul instead of her own! Hahaha!"

Ranma went white as a well… ghost, hearing this and through her shock of learning the specifics of how her soul was sold could only mumble out, "Why all of this?"

Wiping a laughter tear from his eye Th'rignal just looked over her for a moment, she was still painfully aware of her nakedness and tried to conceal more of herself behind her hands to no avail, when he then spoke again in his serpentine rasp, "Ranma, do you collect anything?"

Caught flat-footed at this unusual question Ranma says, "Well, I've got some martial artist trading cards, but no not really. Didn't have to the time to while me an' pops were on the road…"

He then nodded knowingly and said, "Well to answer your questions Ranma, I'm an avid collector, with a particular fondness for soft… young… female curves… you see…" he made an absent hand gesture and the light in the room suddenly came on, very slowly a sickly green that hurt the eyes grew throughout the room, dully illuminating it, and Ranma boggled with horror at what she saw.

The room appeared to be a perfectly round room with no end in sight; a look in one direction would seemingly show a wall only a few feet away, in another direction the wall seemed to be miles and miles away with only the occasional balcony overlooking the orange glow of the flaming city to prevent the room from being a perfect unbroken loop.

But what was more frightening to Ranma were all the nude women, hundreds, maybe thousands of women, seemingly no younger than teenagers and none older than mid-life all being held to the pale green stone wall by an unseen force, all naked with brightly polished brass name and dative plates above their heads and their pained and pleasured moans making a soft almost musical din that reverberated in the great round room.

Ranma's mind rebelled at the sight. '_No! This can't be happening! I can't be in Hell! I was a good person! Mom wouldn't have sold my soul to this! It can't be! It just can't be!_' she thought backing away from Th'rignal until she backed right into a free space in the wall. As a crazed frantic look came into her eyes a shiny glint caught her eye, and she looked up to see… a new shiny brass plate labeled "Ranma Saotome".

Th'rignal then spoke again, all his earlier pleasant demeanor dropping like a stone in the ocean, "You see Ranma what a meticulous collector I am? And of course what kind of collector would I be if I didn't sample my newest acquisition?" with that Th'rignal dropped his neon-purple body cloak, revealing him in all his terrible naked glory as Ranma screamed. Prehensile tentacles, all vaguely in the form of the human-male member began to uncoil and slither away from his body. From his back, from the ends of his wrists and his groin, some possibly ten feet long or more, and as Ranma continued to scream, the tentacles began to hold her tight against the wall, as others began to caress and stroke her skin, leaving trails of slime and thick viscous mucous as they went. Th'rignal then opened his mouth and globs of slimy saliva began to pool at the corners as he said in the perverse glee of a man gone mad, "Yes Ranma! Scream! Scream for all eternity!..." he then dipped forward and a long forked snakes tongue came from his mouth and he licked her cheek, drew back with a shuddered breath and said "Oh so sweet! Ranma, you taste exquisite! So innocent! So pure! I'll just have to eat you all up!" With that Th'rignal once again began licking her and kissing her as his tentacles fondled her in the most depraved ways possible, as his head slowly started going lower on her body along with his ministrations and lower and lower… and then Ranma screamed in absolute primal female fear of personal violation…

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"…Excuse me, Mrs. Saotome? Mrs. Saotome? Mrs. Saotome!"

Nodoka was jolted out of her blank gaze of the back yard and the police activity there, to look up to a middle-aged man in a rumpled brown business suit, answering absently she said, "Ah, yes excuse me, may I help you?"

"Hopefully so Mrs. Saotome. Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Officer Hiro Takajitsu a Detective with the Greater Metro Tokyo Police, from the Martial Artists Crime Division, and I'd like to ask you some questions involving the incident here this evening if I may. Nothing major, just routine stuff, and confirming what the other witnesses said, you know…"

Looking back into the now spot-lit yard from her seat in the tea room, the photographers there placing little numbered cards by seemingly random things and taking photos, Nodoka said tonelessly, "Of course officer, it'd be my pleasure to answer your questions."

"Thank you Ma'am, first of all the decedent, Ranma Saotome, she was your… child… as I understand it, correct?"

Still staring into the yard bustling with forensics examination teams, not looking at the detective she replied, "Yes officer, Ranma was my son, he was under a transformational curse to be a female, so please refer to Ranma as a male if you would…"

Nonplused by Hiro said, "Ah yes, this curse is already mentioned in the file, pardon my slip, but after seeing the remains I assumed… anyways there's some confusion I'm hoping you'll be able to help us with…" he paused to flip through several pages of hand written notes in a pocket sized flip tablet, "… ah here it is. Now then the preliminary forensic pathologist on site believes that the throwing spatulas imbedded in the outer compound wall, are responsible for the bisection of the leg, the, surprisingly enough, pieces of cloth bandana bisected the arm at the shoulder, your family katana was the weapon of the decapitation of the head, and a as of yet to be determined weapon was responsible for the complete separation of the upper torso from the hips…" Hiro noticed how he is now the full attention of her unblinking scrutiny as he continued, "… now Mrs. Saotome the initial reports from one Mrs. Cologne, your husband Genma Saotome and Soun Tendo all indicate that this was a "training mishap"? Would you be so kind to explain to a novice such as myself what type of training this was?"

Hiro could tell that if Nodoka picked up on his implied doubts and sarcasm, she didn't show it as she calmly said in a tone devoid of emotion, "It was a simply a martial arts exercise at avoiding multiple highly skilled weapons users in close quarters combat."

Hiro mumbled an absent, "I see…" as he scribbled furiously in his notepad, then said to Nodoka, "Now Mrs. Saotome, there's another thing, it seems our forensic pathologist believes that what ever weapon was used to separate the torso as it was, had a micron thin cutting edge that cauterized as it cut. Now he says the only thing he knows of that could do that would be a… lets see here… ah, a 'trans-micronometer laser nano-scalpel.' Could you possibly explain how this peculiarity could have occurred?"

For a moment Nodoka's shoulders quiver a bit and Hiro thought excitedly '_YES! Come on you lying bitch break! Confess already!_'

Just as suddenly as the quivering started it stopped, and she just said tonelessly, "I'm sorry officer, but that is a secret technique of the Saotome School of Martial Arts. You'd have to ask my husband about that."

'_Damn, so close!_' Hiro thought, then he said, "I see… I'll be sure to do that Mrs. Saotome. Just one more question, when I first arrived on the scene, the young Miss Akane Tendo was screaming hysterically "They Killed Her!" over and over again, we're still waiting for the tranquilizers to take effect to get a report from her, but could you possibly enlighten me as to whom she might've been referring to as "They"? It is after all a very broad term, open to various degrees of speculation…"

For a moment Nodoka was silent, then turned her lingering gaze away from the yard once more, to look up at the detective again and spoke in a flat voice that almost seems sarcastic in tone, "Why, I'd have no idea what she means officer. The poor dear has been through so much tonight, after all…"

For a moment Hiro considered this while thinking, '_Bull shit lady… tell me another one…_' then said to her, "Mrs. Saotome, on a personal note, you're handling this tragic situation awfully well, how is that, if you don't mind my asking?"

Nodoka is silent for a moment as a siren of a fire truck rumbles past the Tendo Dojo, then said quietly. "I'm a wife and mother to a martial artist's family, death is to be expected, once done there is no point in shedding tears over the fallen, but rather to be pleased they fell in the honorable duty and perfection of The Art. So is Bushido."

Hiro blinked at that and though, '_Damn, now that's just cold…_' then said to her, "Mrs. Saotome here's my card with my cell number on it. If you think of anything else, don't hesitate to give me a call, day or night, alright?"

After he had handed her his card and was turning to leave, he turned back and said "Just one more thing Mrs. Saotome. I can't confirm this yet, but the police rumor mill is working in overdrive on this case and is saying you should be expecting a call from the Emperor himself. Seems he wants to give a full Honor State Funeral to Ranma…"

To this Nodoka's jaw just dropped and in her first real display of emotion; surprise, she sais, "The Emporor? A Full Honors State Funeral? Why?"

Hiro smiled at this, fliping randomly through his little notepad and said, "Well it seems the Government kept tabs on Ranma and a few others in the area. Seems as though on two separate occasions Ranma intercepted heavily armed Chinese Warlords that had aspirations of conquest of Japan who were also here illegally in Japan, one "Herb" of The Peoples Musk militia, and one "Saffron" leading The Phoenix Dawn rebels. Both of the Quing-Hai province, and forced them both back to China. Then there's an incident involving the Emperor's son and daughter in law, the High Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, when they were touring Juuban, and there was a Youma attack. Seems Ranma deflected the attacks away from their royal limousine until the Sailor Senshi Moon, Mars, and Mercury arrived on the scene and they all worked in concert to eradicate the beast, Saving the Crown Prince and Princess. You should be proud Mrs. Saotome, your son died a national hero/heroine. Now if you'll excuse Mrs. Saotome, I've still a report to file, Good Evening…" So saying Detective Hiro Takajitsu walked away. Fully aware that after he turned and took a few steps, Nodoka had slumped forward and put her face in her hands and shook…

Minutes later after going around the compound, Hiro snagged a random uniformed officer and asked, "Hey, have you seen those Chinese Amazons? The one named Cologne in particular? I still have some questions…"

The officer just looks nervous and said, "Well, that's the thing sir… no one knows where they are…"

"What do you mean no one knows where they are? What about the guard detail around the witnesses?" Hiro replied hotly.

The officer squirms under his superior officer's hard gaze and mutters lamely, "Well sir… it seems they… the guard detail that is… don't remember any Chinese people as witnesses at all…"

"No memory of them at all?" Hiro asked with a single raised eyebrow. And the subordinate just shakes his head in an 'affirmative'.

With a deep sigh Hiro said, "That's odd, well, I guess they might be over at their restaurant establishment, that 'Nekohanten'. I'll head over there then after I'm through here I guess…"

"Um sir about that place…" the officer mumbles.

"Well, what about it?" Hiro asked impatiently '_Of all the days to not have a cigarette…_'

"Well, you see sir, not but five minutes ago we got a call from the fire marshal… and the Nekohanten Restaurant is ablaze. They're expecting it to be a total loss, with no word on any bodies yet…"

"Thank you for telling me this, now carry on…" Hiro said to the young officer with narrowed eyes, turning he thought, '_Dammit! What the Hell, is going on around here!?_'

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Hild was bored, bored, bored, bored, as the list kept scrolling by. Even at a speed no mortal, and few demons, could read at she was barely paying attention to it as on another screen she had on a Midgard soap opera. Absently munching some popcorn she mumbled, "Oh Deborah, don't go with him on the cruise, he'll only use you, break your heart and leave!"

A spectator of this might've thought that Hild was transferring her own life experience to the fictional character of 'Deborah'…

Hild glanced back at her holo-terminal as it slowed to a crawl for the last few hundred thousand new arrivals within the last few hours… when a blinking name with a demonic marked header already on it caught her eye. Her attention now fully on the scrolling list, she commanded, "Terminal, scroll up to last demon marked header and display."

After glancing at it she said, "Hmm, Ranma Saotome, typical demonic soul-contract… probably nothing…" Hild had a thought to pay it no mind and just go back to her TV show, but there's something nagging at the back of her brain about this one…

So with her mind made up she commanded, "Terminal, display full profile of recent arrival Ranma Saotome."

After a few quite moments of reading, Hild is appalled, bewildered and slightly enraged by this young child's life, muttering randomly…

"Seppuku pact…?"

"Ten year martial arts training…?"

"His own mother sold his soul for that crappy wish?"

"Jusenkyo Nyannichuan cursed at age 16? Oh you poor baby, so young…"

"Killed Saffron…?" Hild lets out a low whistle "So that's why we got a chunk of that demigod's soul…"

"Coaxed into a lesbian relationship by a possibly abusive fiancée…?"

"Deceased today at age 19 and 3 months and 19 days… so very young…"

"Additional file note; duel-natured, stubbornly individualistic, refutes authority, excels in face of adversity…"

After reading through the file, Hild leaned back into her large chair and thought '_Could this child be molded into my heir? Even if not; he never deserved that kind of wretchedly bad and short life… at the very least, he could really manage truly piss-off Bell-chan…_'

Hild wasn't certain why, maybe it was a desire for affection, maybe it was long dormant maternal instinct wanting to come to the surface to give love and protection to a child that made up her mind for her as she said, "Terminal; to which demon was the soul of Ranma Saotome sold to?"

A moment later, in a soft feminine voice the terminal replied, "To the third class limited license Shikima demon, Th'rignal, in the Keep of Prince Sith in Muspelheim."

After hearing this, the deeply tanned white haired woman paled considerably, and instantly phases out of her nightgown, and back into her regal purple dress with its plunging neckline that stops below her navel, as she then opens a dark transportational gate, and quickly strode through it, in the hopes she wasn't too late as plans, contingencies and dark machinations, whirled through her mind about this child.

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Th'rignal was comfortably relaxed as he reclined in his massive throne in the center of his collection room. He couldn't help but to smile cruelly as he watched his newest addition twitching sporadically in her invisible confines on the wall. He took especial pleasure in watching the slime and goo from his earlier sampling of her drip and plop to the stone floor beneath her.

Suddenly there is a crackling in the air and a smell of ozone, and with an audible rip in reality a black doorway formed, and no sooner has it formed than the Daimakaicho Hild herself came through, regally striding into the room with the gate soon dissipating behind her.

'_Hild herself... coming to see little ol' me? This is going to be good…_' Th'rignal though to himself in mad glee, then said in his best ass-kisser voice, "My Lady Hild! What a pleasant surprise, what may I do for you this fine evening?!"

At first Hild ignored him as she looked for Ranma within the massive room, though the redhead is quickly spotted on the contrasting green wall.

Hild is then repulsed and then saddened by how she finds Ranma, stuck to a wall, violated in every imaginable way with a glazed look in her eyes as she twitches and spasms randomly.

Righteous female rage begins to build in Hild as she whirls around to face the smirking Th'rignal as she growls out pointing to Ranma, "This one. I want Ranma, now!"

Th'rignal seemed as though he's considering something for a moment, then looked at Hild and said is a sarcastic tone, "Why, my dear Lady Hild, had I known you prefer women, I most certainly would've saved her for you! But if you wish you may be all means sample her yourself!" he paused, then continued with a leer at her, that makes her feel dirty by his gaze alone. "Of course, if you want manly companionship I'm sure I could… squeeze you in…" he emphasized this by one tentacle forming an "O" and another thrusting through it…

Hild then glowers at Th'rignal as she purples in rage and growls out through clenched teeth, "That's not what I meant, and you are in no position to make such lewd comments to Me, WORM! Now give me the contract to her, Now!"

For a moment Th'rignal loses his grin, as he approaches Ranma, where he then caresses her cheek, she flinches and averts her eyes at his touch. Then his grin is right back in place as he asks Hild in a playful tone, "Now Hild, don't you know I'm part snake, not worm? Get it right! And then why exactly should I just hand over such and exquisite soul? Why, she's not even fully broken in yet!"

'_He's right, why should he just hand her over to me? There's no extenuating circumstance after all, and it is a valid contract. Think Hild, think! Something… leverage… ah! I've got it! Patronage!_' Hild thought to herself, and then said to Th'rignal "Patronage! I as Queen demand this soul as payment in Patronage from you Th'rignal!"

Hild then smirked her own smirk as she sees Th'rignal sputter in surprise then shout at her, "Patronage!? You've not demanded Patronage from any denizens for eons! Why me!? Why now!? What's so special about this one small mortal soul?!"

Hild can only broaden her smirk as she said, "Well first of all, you're right it has been eons since I last demanded Patronage. So that means I'm obviously due a surplus. As for why you… lets just say I consider you and your kind some of the vilest things to ever grace existence with your presence. Though, that might just be my perspective as a woman. And as for this soul… all you need to know is that I want her… now!"

In a sudden bout of courage to keep his newest prize, Th'rignal's smirk once again forms and he says, "Ah, but my Queen! Why would you want this one lowly soul? Aren't there others I may offer you? Just peruse my hall… maybe you'll find one more to your liking!"

Hild then looks over the disgusting thing with narrowed eyes and said in an arctic cool voice, "Why I want this specific one is of no concern to you, and your bribe is a foolish attempt. Now release her to me or I'll castrate you!..." she smirked as his grin faded slightly then continued, "… all twenty-four times!"

To this Th'rignal pales as his eyes widen in shocked fear and his tentacles all flail about him wildly, also in shock. Not seeing any merit in risking his very infernal existence on just one mortal soul, Th'rignal in a flash of green light flashes the contract into existence in his hand, then another flash away, where in a purple flash of light it is in Hild's hand. Then to Th'rignal's shocked dismay and as a surprise to the dimly aware Ranma, Hild incinerates the contract in a flare of purple hued flame of damnation, not even leaving ash.

As soon as that happened, the invisible bonds that had been holding Ranma to the wall dissipate and she began to fall bonelessly, until she was caught by Hild.

And immediately Hild opens a portal gently supporting Ranma as they cross into the dark doorway. Then they're gone.

Th'rignal then just sighed, and mumbled, "Well, sometimes you win some, sometimes you lose some…" then turning to face his room of thousands of other women; he clasps his hands together and says excitedly, "Well ladies! Seems we've lost a player! So… who's next?!" A collective groan of female torment is his only reply…

- - -

* * *

- - -

Hild and Ranma had just moments ago stepped into Hild's chambers, where she materialized a large comfortable couch and sat Ranma on it, as she then materialized a bowl of warm water and a rag to begin wiping the filth and glop from Ranma. When quite suddenly, just as she was starting to clean Ranma, Ranma began shrieking hysterically, unsure of what exactly to do at this display of an emotion she doesn't fully comprehend, Hild just does what comes naturally, and quickly embraced the severely traumatized boy/girl in a tight hug, cheek to cheek, and rocking her with cooing calming words into her ear.

After several minutes the shrieking subsides to piteous raged wails and sobbing, then after a long while just Ranma mumbling through long raged shuddering breaths, "I'm dead", "He… he… to me… and…"

It was in these moments that Hild's long, long, long dormant maternal instincts truly started coming back as she just helped Ranma saying, "I've got you now Ranma… you're safe here honey, no one will hurt you ever again, I promise."

So enraptured in her comforting of Ranma, Hild never even noticed the System Force registering her promise and adjusting reality itself accordingly…

- - - - - -

A/N: Oh wow, just wow. Even I'm surprised by this. This is also probably the last bit of horrible evil stuff happening **TO** Ranma…

About the, "Herb of The Peoples Musk Militia", and "Saffron leading The Phoenix Dawn Rebels". Can you really see any government placing the knowledge of the existence of a Dragon Prince/Princess and a Phoenix Demigod in official reports? No! So…instead they hide the truth in a lie.

Also, in case you noticed the Sailor Moon reference, I hope you enjoyed it, as there is no way in Hell I'm turning this into some sort of Fuku-fic. Just ain't gonna' happen.

Furthermore, those are the ACTUAL names of the Crown Prince and Princess of Japan.

I would also like to thank the fine folks at Fukufics for their helpful comments. In particular: **Metroidvania, Dumbledork, DCG,** **Musouka, Nadrek, Innortal, deathgeonous, Hazard, TerraBull. **

T/B/C! Till next time!


	3. Chapter 3 While you were Sleeping

Disclaimer on page 1.

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Daimakaicho Ranma: While you were Sleeping…

Chapter 3.

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With a drowsy groan Ranma blinked her eyes open, clearing away the sleepiness that had gathered there. Blinking her eyes several more times Ranma began to sit up propping herself upon her elbows, the first thing she noticed in her half lidded and half awake stupor was that she was clean, smelling of lilac, her pigtail unbound letting her red locks fall messily down her back, and in a comfortable set of plain purple pajamas in a bed, an actual honest-to-goodness european bed and not a japanese futon as she was accustomed to. For several moments there was a disconnect in Ranma's mind of her current situation as the last memories she had were… unpleasant as she was crying in a lady's arms.

Then Ranma began to look around her current surroundings in earnest first noticing that the bed she was in was quite possibly the largest down filled mattress, violet canopy bed she'd ever seen in her life. Even larger than the ones that were in the Picolette Chardin mansion. Then expanding her gaze outward into the large room she noticed how very… medieval the things were. As it was a large room, all lit by torches on the walls and in plain stone of varying shades mostly of gray and a light gray stone floor polished to a mirror shine from centuries of use with only randomly placed animal fur rugs as a flourish. On the far wall there was a very expansive fireplace with a roaring fire in its hearth forcing back the slight chill that seemed to permeate the room, and above the mantel of the fireplace there was a large expansive tapestry. Ranma wasn't quite certain, but it seemed to be a courtly love scene, on one side of it a warrior man with an eye patch over a single eye was on a single knee, bowing before a tall and tanned white-haired woman bestowing before her on a pillow a purple and gold crowning headpiece. In the middle of the tapestry there was a scene with one side of it dominated by black winged creatures of darkness in battle with white winged creatures of light, and on each side of this panel there were the faces in profile of the white-haired woman and the eye patched warrior man. And on the far right side of the tapestry was a scene of the warrior man with an eye patch, his back turned to the white-haired woman, and with a white-haired child in his grasp walking away from the woman. Ranma could only think how very sad this scene in total was.

Deciding she had spent enough time in bed gawking around the room she slowly pulled the covers away from herself and stiffly rolled out of bed, her feet bare as they were, when they hit the cold stone floor sent a shiver up her body. With another shiver and a groan, she began to stretch noting that she must have been asleep for a very long time if the sore stiffness she was feeling was any indication. Then deciding that pajamas weren't quite enough for the cool that seemed to be in the room she spotted a large wardrobe dresser; opening it, she frowned as most of the things inside were obviously for a small young girl in shades of violet, pink and black with lots of lace, though there was a plain light violet robe that she decided would work as she loosely slung it over her shoulders and tied the belt loosely. Then as she walked over to the large bank of the gothically arched windows to possibly see the time by the light, and gasped. There when she looked out through the distorted glass, the faint red light that spread along the entire horizon and that could either be early morning or late evening that seemed to span across the entire horizon was not what was drawing her attention, as the city far below was a far more perplexing and awe inspiring sight.

First rubbing her eyes with her hands, and then rubbing the glass free of fog to make sure she was seeing correctly, she can only gape at what she saw as she noted that she must have been up very high up and that as far as the eye can see was ice. Everything had the grayish blue cast of it being ice, a stark contrast to the red light from the sky. Some of the buildings closest to wherever she was were massive towering spires of ice like gleaming bluish-white skyscrapers pointing upwards jaggedly, the light from beyond the horizon making them appear like massive knives edged in flowing blood. And even broadening out her gaze she noted that all the smaller buildings seem to be of the same construction as though water had been poured from the sky itself and frozen unevenly and jaggedly into place in the forms of everything from shops to simple homes even to the lampposts themselves.

Slowly, she pulled her face back from the now fogged glass and pulled her hands away from the stinging cold it provided to her palms and muttered in a dully amused voice, "Heh, Somehow I expected Hell to be hotter…"

It was then and at that moment, her stomach grumbled loudly, which surprised her greatly as she didn't think that the… well… dead, got hungry.

Her mind made up to go in the search of food; she walked across the room, her bare feet on the cold stone floor, sending her a shiver with each step to the large oak door of the room. As she neared the door though and as she was about to reach for the handle, the door swung open for her. Surprised by this she popped just her head out of the now open doorway she saw that it was a strait corridor, much like the room of gray stone and torches on the walls, her stomach growled again and with a glance to the left, and glanced at the right to see if anyone was near as she stepped out into the corridor to then have the door to the room behind her close abruptly with a slam, the small name plate with a caricature of a smiling super-deformed white-haired girl holding two fingers in a 'Peace' sign and labeled "Urd" clicking slightly from the sudden movement.

"Well, I guess there's no goin' back now…" Ranma mused lamely to herself, then went on looking in both directions the corridor went "…Now which way should I go?…"

After several moments of deep thought, she said, "In situations like this there's only one thing to do…" then a look of deep concentration crossed her face and she held up a palm of each of her hands out in each direction and said, "Eeny meeny, miney moe, catch a tiger…" this went on for several minutes, then said victoriously pointing to her right "… and the way is MOE!"

As she walked down the dimly lit corridors, Ranma noted how creepy it was, as open doors would close and lock before she got to them, or how closed doors would open letting her pass… almost like she was being guided to a specific place. After what seemed like hours, but was probably only minutes, an absolutely heavenly aroma found its way to Ranma's nose, making her stomach grumble. At this wonderful prospect, she quickened her pace; rounding a corner there was a light at the end of the tunnel and she rushed headlong into the light.

Blinking rapidly to clear the spots out of her eyes, she noticed that the room was just an ordinary kitchen with clean white tile; stainless steel appliances scattered about, and very brightly lit as opposed to the corridors. Then her gaze spotted the source of the wonderful smells as there was a large wood table loaded with all her favorites of salted fish, fried egg omelets with ham, miso soup, and even orange juice.

Looking up to see who was setting the table, she could only gape at the remarkably beautiful mature white-haired woman in a plain simple pink and black dress and clean frilly laced apron smiling softly at her, who then said, "Hello Ranma, care for a late breakfast?"

Ranma blinked at how much simple 'niceness' she put into her words as Ranma then said, "Uhh, sure… I guess…" this was punctuated by a rumble from her belly making her blush from embarrassment, though the lady only giggled softly. Ranma then continued, "Yeah… I guess I'm pretty hungry… but lady if you don't mind my askin'… who are you and where am I anyways?"

Still smiling softly the white-haired lady says with a hand on her cheek, "Oh, how rude of me for not introducing myself…" she paused, "…my name is Hild…" thunder rolled and a strike of purple lightning flared in the window she was standing in front of, "… and you, Ranma are a guest in my Royal Palace in Niffelheim, in the plane of existence known as Hell…" still smiling softly seeing Ranma backing away, "… calm yourself Ranma, you're safe here, I want to try and help you if you'll let me."

Reassured by this, but still wary, Ranma asked in a distrustful tone, "Why would you want ta' help me? What's in it for you?"

The white-haired lady's smile falters as she asked Ranma in a hurt voice, "Do I need a reason? Is it so wrong for Me to want to help?..." seeing the still unsure face of Ranma she goes on, "… alright Ranma, I won't lie, not to you, there might be something, but I won't force you, and you can always say no…" Ranma's blinked in surprise of this and thinks '_She's not gonna' force me? I gotta' choice in what ever she wants? Wow that's certainly different…_' and Hild then continued, "… but first, how about having your breakfast before it gets cold?..." she paused to beam a smile at Ranma and said in a chirping voice, "… I cooked it all myself!"

Ranma at first looked dubiously at the proffered feast, and then past experience kicked in and she said in a doubtful tone, "It ain't poisoned is it?"

Hild's eyes cross at this, she than raises the back of her hand to her forehead as crocodile tears started streaming down her cheeks as she said over dramatically, "Oh, how horrible! That after slaving away all morning over a hot stove to prepare a veritable feast, my skill and motivations would be doubted and slandered so! And in my own home no less! Oh Ranma you break a woman's poor heart!"

To this display Ranma "Gak's!" waving her arms defensively she shouts, "I'm sorry! Really I didn't mean it! I'm sure it's delicious!" Hild after hearing this does an emotional 180, once again beaming a smile at Ranma as she took a seat at the table, with one more glance at the brightly smiling Hild, Ranma picked up a set of chop-sticks and took a tentative bite of omelet, then another, then was inhaling the divinely delicious food, uncaring of Hild smiling softly now and thinking '_She's so much like Urd…_'

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Nabiki was worried as she stared at the grey skies threatening rain, out of the 3rd floor window of the hotel suite the police had arranged for all the "witnesses" to stay in over the night, on the reason to "preserve the scene". In fact Nabiki could just barely make out the top of the roof of their house… and all the mini-satellites sticking up from the mobile news trucks of the reporters trying to get "The Big Scoop".

"Vultures…" Nabiki said quietly to herself, then sighed; thinking, _'…but who knew so many people knew Ranma?' _Nabiki then turned away from the depressing skies, to the depressing atmosphere of the room as she looks at her family, the Saotome's, Ryoga, Ukyo and Happosai all sitting around the dining table, all starring blankly with deep bags under their eyes. '_Probably nightmares…_' she thought, then sighed and continued rubbing at her eyes and suppressing a yawn '…_if they got any sleep that is_…'

Glancing around the room again Nabiki couldn't help but to frown as she looked at her sister, Akane who had barely spoken since… IT… happened as she was leaning into Ryoga, and Ryoga having only the slightest barely perceptible grin… of course Nabiki was Very observant. Her father Soun, wasn't even crying, not a drop she's seen since… All he was doing now was absently stroking his mustache, though that might've just been him trying to get the crumbs and syrup from the delivered breakfast of waffles out of it.

As it had been a delivered meal, Kasumi had nothing to do… but every few minutes she'd take the plate of uneaten waffles and reheat them in the microwave at the mini-bar. '_She_ _won't be satisfied till they're glowing…_' Nabiki thought with a sarcasm she wasn't really feeling. Ukyo, now leaning away from the table was reading a manga from the hotels shop, with not a care in the world. And the Saotome's… Nabiki couldn't help but to think of how… utterly defeated Genma looked with his shoulders slumped and absently poking a waffle piece around his plate with a single chop-stick. And Nodoka… Nabiki wondered where that lady got her composure from, as she was certain that if HER child had been killed the "Ice Queen" would be a blubbering nervous wreck of flowing tears… but no, not Nodoka just sitting there sans katana as it was taken by the police, and calmly watching the morning TV news as she sipped tea.

Then there was Happosai, his unlit pipe dangling from his mouth with an expression of deep concentration and a scowl at the Saotome's crossed his wrinkled face, in fact Nabiki could almost swear his old eyes were glowing slightly… '_No it must be a trick of the light…_' Nabiki's mind rationalized as something else occurred to her from last night… '_Something the lecher said about Free Will…?_' taking another glace around the room Nabiki decided to just ask the pervert.

"Hey old-letch, I've a question for you…" Nabiki said breaking the macabre silence and getting Happosai's attention as he jerked in surprise to look up at her from across the table.

"Yes Nabiki-chan, what is it?" Happi said back in a tired kindly-grandfatherly voice.

"Well… it's something you said to Ranma yesterday…" she paused as she felt all the eyes in the room fall upon her "… you said something like you wouldn't fight 'cause of Free Will…" she paused again to hold back a shiver as his old eyes bored into hers "… what'd you mean by that exactly…?" pause "…if you don't mind my asking…" she finished politely somber.

Happosai just looked at her for a moment, then dips his head rubbing tiredly at his eyes, and with a sigh he says, "It's very complicated… oh so very complicated…" he paused to sigh again and look up, "… but I won't… no _**can't**_ lie now… the time for this charade is over now I guess..."

Well aware of all the gazes now on him, he only addressed Nabiki as he said, "The maintenance of Mortal Free Will is Kami-Sama's highest law. The choices and consequences humans' make in shaping their lives and the lives of those around them must have as little influence from the gods and spirits as possible."

"Well that's interesting and all but I don't see what that has to do with anything here." Nabiki said then cringed as Happi snapped out, "You will if you don't interrupt me again!..." calming himself, he went on, "…You see Nabiki all those years ago when Genma and Soun sealed Happosai away in that cave… they succeeded…" He looked around at all the confused faces he elaborated, "… you see that loathsome little cave is actually the grave of Happosai, where he died on the fourth day of his imprisonment, badly injured from the concussive blast."

With eyes narrowed at this, Soun asks hotly, "If you're not Master Happosai, then who are you!"

To this Happi just shoots Soun a angered look and said, "Soun, Shut up and let me finish!..." with Soun sufficiently cowed, he went on, "As I was saying that cave is where Happosai died, BUT before he died he made a plea to the patron god of martial arts, Futsunushi no Mikoto. What struck Futsunushi was that Happosai didn't beg for his life, but rather begged for a worthy heir to the school of martial arts he founded. Impressed that such a greedy manipulative and selfish man in life, like Happosai would make such a selfless plea for the good of the school of Anything Goes martial arts near death, Futsunushi smiled upon him and his request as he passed on… and so Futsunushi-Sama sent me to grant his dying wish…"

"If you're not Happosai then who…" Nabiki sputtered out as a disk of golden light formed over 'Happosai' and slowly descended, then it was gone, and sitting in the seat of the faux-Happosai was now a tall grey-haired bishonen man with soft blue-grey eyes, and a vertical blue slash under each eye on his cheeks, wearing a very simple grey hakama.

Smiling thinly to the very shocked and mouths agape persons in the room he said, "Allow me to formally introduce myself…" now standing so he could bow, "… I am Lizasa Lenaoko, founder of the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu, and Second Class, limited license Spirit of Martial Arts Teaching."

To say all the mortal beings in the room were shocked would be a magnificent understatement. The man they knew as Happosai… wasn't Happosai, and that the real Happosai was in fact long dead? And to top that this man was in fact THE Lizasa Lenaoko?! And to top that, he was sent by Futsunushi no Mikoto Sama himself!?

For several moments the room was silent until Kasumi of all people cleared her throat and asked politely, "Lizasa-Hanshi-Dono, Why? Why pose as grandfather Happosai if all you had to do was to find a worthy heir, or even wait 10 years to do it?"

The spirit revealed as Lizasa Lenaoko smiled lightly as he said, "Well, I figured the best way to teach his school… was to become him… and as for why I waited, well I thought it best to keep the school in the families… so I waited until one of the children of either the Saotome or the Tendo was old enough." As the people in the room heard this, they couldn't help but to think that it Did make some sense.

Ukyo had a tickling in her mind at this, so speaking for the first time she said in a quiet tone, "So, let me guess. Ranma was who you were training, right? He's dead… so why are you still here Lizasa-Dono?"

Lizasa leaned back into his chair, closing his eyes and smiling wistfully he say,s "Ah yes, very astute Ukyo-chan. Out of both houses Saotome and Tendo, Ranma was the only one with the physical skills, mindset and indomitable will to be a truly worthy heir. As for why I'm still here?... I still have to find an heir of course… though I think I'll have to search long and hard now to find one suitable…" he paused, "… that is if Ranma isn't willing or able."

Ukyo then looks bewildered as she said, "But Ranma's dead… how could he be the heir?"

Lizasa just sighs deeply, and quite suddenly his eyes open in a flash as they and his blue slashes are glowing faintly. As the glow fades away he says, "I'm not entirely certain. But I just have a feeling... a bad one…" he pauses and shoots a glare at Nodoka, and then saying in a heated voice, "…Though for some reason I'm not able to contact Yggdrassil to find out what happened yesterday... so Nodoka, care to inform us all as to what we saw? I do know the work of demons after all…" he finishes with a glare at the now fidgeting Nodoka.

For several moments all eyes were on the fidgeting Nodoka her worried facial expression, telling them that it must be something very bad to get her worked up so much. She then takes say deep calming breath settling her nerves as she says quietly. "I sold to my child's soul to a devil for wish..."

Lizasa knew he would regret it, but this mystery needed an answer, so probing further, He asked Nodoka, "What kind of wish? And what kind of devil, was he? "

Nodoka with downcast eyes she reached into her kimonos Obi pocket and withdrew a small back scroll and handed it over to Lizasa. After several moments of reading, Lizasa groaned, a few moments later, Nabiki asked, "Wha… what does it say?" He just looked at her for a moment before setting the scroll open down on the table and reading from it he said, "**I, Nodoka Saotome, wish for my son, Ranma Saotome to be drawn to, and attracted to lovely young women where ever he goes in life!**"

Nabiki then blinked at that and turns to look at the shaken Nodoka then turns to look at, Lazasa and blinks again and says in a voice laden with incredulity, "That's got to be the vaguest and stupidest contract I've ever heard of!"

Nodding his head in agreement, Lizasa says, "Quite so… quite so indeed. Without being able to check Yggdrassil and Ranma's file their within, I can't say for certain, but I'd even wager that all of the fiancées are a result of this..." he then gets a perplexed look on his face, tilting his head, he says more to himself, "... the vagueness, it's probably how he also got his Jusenkyo curse…" he paused to slam his fist into his palm, "…of course! The Nyannichuan has a spirit of a young girl in it! It would have been impossible for Ranma to fall in any **other** spring!" When all attention, now firmly on the spirit Lazasa, he turns to look at the now pale and wide eyed Nodoka as a sinking suspicion forms in his belly as he asks. "Nodoka, can you describe this Th'rignal daemon, and everything you know about him?"

Shaken to her core by the knowledge that her badly worded wish caused her child's curse, Nodoka says in a voice almost trembling with emotion, "He… he came to me in the night… he was so… soft and gentle… then he…" she paused as a blush forming on her cheeks, even though she was shaking, "… he ravaged me… he was so manly for me… he had so many "you knows" as they caressed me… god I was so lonely…" she paused again to look at the ashen faced and wide eyed Genma through her tears, "…you two had been gone for almost 4 years… I don't know what came over me, but as he was leaving me… leaving me like you did in the night…" pause as she becomes hysterical, "I Just Wanted Ranma to be happy! I begged the devil in my bed for a way for Ranma to be happy! Was that so wrong!? So I begged Th'rignal for a way for Ranma to be happy through a wish!.." she paused again, hiccupping through her tears, "…but he asked for payment… my soul… I was afraid… I couldn't do it… so he suggested Ranma's soul… and I… and I…" realization finally settles into her mind as she throws her head back as she screams hysterically, "I Sold my Babies Soul to a Devil, And Now He's Dead and in Hell!" and with that she collapsed with her face in her hands weeping.

After this display there is a shocked silence in the room, only broken by Nodoka's soft muffled cries. Then Lizasa stands to walk to the mini-fridge, and to bypass the credit-card reader on the door, his hand became immaterial and passed through the door, then pulls back with a beer. He then chugs the entire can. He repeats this pulling can after can out and drinking the over-priced beer down as fast as he can until the small refrigerator is empty of alcohol. Seating himself once again at the table, he closed his eyes, and pinched the bridge of his nose as he slurs out, "Shikima daemon… it would be a shikima wouldn't it?"

"Is one of these Shikima bad?" Nabiki ventured to the rapidly inebriated spirit.

Lazasa just "Hmm's" at first, then said, "Well it would depend on your idea of bad I guess… you see… they're lovers not fighters…" he chuckles at that like it's a witty joke, though seeing the looks of non-comprehension he elaborates, "… what I mean is they as fighters they're rather weak individually… but imagine a handsome seductive man, but with anywhere from 5 to 30, long, sometimes 10 feet long, prehensile male organs on their bodies. Those are the source and status of their powers as they rape women…" all the women in the room shudder at this, even Nodoka, though she may still just be crying. "So Nabiki, yes I'd say a Shikima is bad."

Ryoga who had been paying rapt attention to all this decided to speak up, "So Lezasa-dono… Ranma's dead?" Lazasa nods yes, "And Ranma's a girl in hell?" again Lazasa just nods yes. "And she's being raped by a monster in hell?" he says almost hopefully as Lazasa nods yes again. Leaning back in his chair Ryoga fights down a grin as he begins to rub Akane's shoulder as he says with obviously false sincerity, "How Tragic…"

For several moments silence once again reigned in the room until Nodoka spoke in a frightened and tired voice "Lezasa-Dono, what now? Are you going to punish us for what we've done?" Genma, Ukyo, and Ryoga all flinch then pale at the though of a Spirit sent from a Kami punishing them. Thus they are surprised when Lezasa just chuckles out, "No… nothing like that Nodoka, I'm not a vengeful spirit. Do I think what you all have done is a horrendous crime? Certainly…" more people in the room pale, "… but I can not take any vengeance that is after all only for Ranma as she was the one wronged in this travesty."

Hearing this Ryoga nearly spasms as he shouts across the table, "But Ranma's in hell! You said so yourself! How could she do anything to us now!?"

Wiping the sprayed spittle from his face Lazasa sighs and says, "I don't know… I honestly don't… but that's what I'm worried about…" as he then thinks that a visit to where those three First class goddesses are living in Nekomi is in order…

As everyone is digesting this, Lazasa's marks flash for a second, then he says, "We have guests!" and with that there is a puff of white smoke, and Lazasa is once again the little troll Happosai, just as there is a knocking on the hotel suits door…

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* * *

- - -

With eyes closed and small towers of dirty dishes flanking her, Ranma patted her slightly distended stomach gently, and with a contented sigh, picked her teeth with a chopstick she said brightly, "Thanks Mom, that was great!"

Hearing a soft happy sigh, Ranma opens her eyes, and instead of the older redheaded woman she was used to seeing, she sees an older, but breath-takingly beautiful white-haired woman with red star-like tattoos on her forehead and cheeks, smiling softly at her from across the table. Then Ranma remembers, and says sheepishly scratching at the back f her head, "Sorry… I guess I forgot…" she then pauses as her features harden and her teeth begin to grind and she continues through clenched teeth, "… and I nearly forgot that… that… grrr."

Still smiling at Ranma, Hild says reassuringly, "It's okay Ranma, really, its okay, I don't mind, in fact it was kind of sweet of you in an unthinking way."

Uncertain if she was complimented or insulted Ranma just said back lamely, "Uh, thanks I guess…" she then looks around some, and noticed how… ordinary, everything was, she turned back to Hild to ask, "So I'm dead, and this is hell… but you burned that contract… so why am I still here and not heaven or where ever?"

Hearing the hidden plea in Ranma's voice, Hild smiles a little sadly at her as she says, "Well, firstly, you're right, you're dead. Then technically your in Hellheim Palace in the demon city of Niffelheim…" she pauses to drum her fingernails on the table, "… as for why you're still here… it's complicated, but it boils down to a Taint."

Ranma's eyes cross in confusion as she asks "What do ya' mean by that?"

Hild just sighs as she says, "Well… while there are many ways to get into heaven, good virtuous life, morality, being good to others, the list goes on. Though Kami-Sama has a… what you might consider a "Policy of Absolutes". That being to get into Heaven you need to be absolutely good in as many aspects possible. And well… when you're tainted you… just don't."

Hearing this Ranma shouts almost angrily, "What do ya' mean, by Tainted! I ain't got none of this taint!"

"Actually you do kiddo." Hild said back casually, to which Ranma snapped, "And how do you know for sure?!"

Smiling again Hild says, "How about I show you? And not that my kitchen isn't nice… but I'd think a more comfortable environment is in order, don't you?"

Blinking at the turnabout, Ranma mumbled out, "Yeah I guess…" and just as she finishes Hild snapped her fingers, Ranma's vision of the kitchen blurs as a slight sense of vertigo washes over her… then her senses snap back, and she can't help but to gape at the… cavernous would be the best way to describe it, classic comfortably lit, wood paneled library. A room with many large leather chairs, small tables and lined with bookshelf's and ladders to reach the higher volumes… and then Ranma looked up… and up… and up, and the walls filled with volumes of books just kept going up with no end in sight.

Leaning up beside Ranma from behind, Hild says, "Impressive isn't it? All the knowledge of existence…" of course this startled Ranma as she jumped and whirled around to face Hild, with her hand over her heart as she shouts, "Hey don't do that, you'll give me a heart attack!" Seeing Hild giggling, Ranma just holds her hand over her heart until she realizes something… no heartbeat. To this Ranma just mumbles out in a bland voice, "Oh, right… death…" pause, "… so about this taint you say I got?"

Taking a seat in a nearby leather arm back chair, and as another was walking over to sit opposite, Hild motioned Ranma to sit.

As Ranma wearily took the proffered seat after it stopped moving on its own, Hild said, "You see Ranma, I know why you didn't go to heaven when I destroyed that contract… and that is as I've established Taint. Now in your case the demon contract is a part of it, even though it's no longer relevant, it's left its mark. The other bit of the Taint is emotional…" Ranma's now burning her gaze into Hild, "… Tell me Ranma, how do you feel about Ryoga?"

"I don't wanna' talk about him…" Ranma said through gritted teeth as she remembered the face of her friend and murderer.

Hild presses on, "How do you feel about your father?..." Ranma's teeth grind "…Nabiki maybe?..." Ranma's eyes narrow "…How about Ukyo or Cologne?..." Ranma begin to shake, "…or how do you feel about your Mother Nodoka?..." to this Ranma growls deep in her throat, then Hild pulls out the big guns, "Or how do you feel about Th'rignal for that matter?"

Durring all of this the pressure in Ranma is building, and then she just snaps suddenly standing up, "I Hate Them! I hate them all! I wanna' make 'em pay for what they did to me! Never any choices! I wanna' make em' all know the pain they put me through is what I think! Damn 'em all for all I care!..." then her shoulders slump as she slides back into her seat, and in a depressed tone she continues, "… but I can't do nothin' like that now… cause I'm dead and they're not… and Th'rignal… I'm like wet tissue paper compared to him…"

Nodding her head slightly Hild says; "And that's the taint, feelings of betrayal, anger and fear, lust for revenge, and bitterness…" Hild is then interrupted as the libraries door opens with a squeak as a tall blond woman with red slashes on her forehead and cheeks in a black leather ensemble timidly stepped into the room, nervously sweating, she coughs then says politely, "Um… Hild-Sama… I was wondering about what you wanted to do back at the temple with Belldandy?"

Hild smiles at Mara as she says in a kawai voice, "Oh, I think you can handle that by yourself Ma-chan, I trust you to succeed."

Emboldened by Hilds words Mara says, "Of course I, Mara demon first class unlimited can do it! Thank you Hild-sama! I shall not fail you!" And she just stands there, her hand held in a salute, until Hild says in her kawai voice wavering her fingers "Bye-bye Ma-chan!" Mara just blinked at this, then her eyes widen as she turns an about-face to run from the room as quickly as possible.

Blinking at the display and slightly calmer; Ranma asked Hild, "What just happened?"

"Oh, just a side project I've had going to corrupt a goddess." Hild says back casually, to which Ranma can only ask "Why?"

To this Hild's face darkens as she says, "To prove to Kami-Sama that he's wrong, that the good can be corrupted, and that the corrupted can be redeemed, that nothing works in absolutes, and shades of blacks and whites forever."

Ranma "Ah'ed" at this… it did kind of make sense after all.

"Now then back to where I was before we were rudely interrupted…" Hild said "…Now Ranma do you see now your taint? Do you think you could let go of all that, considering how they treated you? No friends for so many years? The constant battle for your survival? Your curse? No choices? Even your love, Akane wouldn't let you choose your gender for a relationship, it was either her way, or no way…" by now Ranma was shaking again as her teeth were grinding, "…could you?"

Through her gritted teeth Ranma answered, "No…" then looks at Hild and asks "… How do you know so much about me anyways?"

"Why I read your file in the Nidhogg while you were sleeping of course." Hild replied.

"My file?" Ranma asked with a dubious tone.

To this Hild just smiled, snapped her fingers, and a small grey single drawer metal filing cabinet popped into existence beside Hild, then she said with a hand flourish to the cabinet "Yes, your file."

Ranma looks at the cabinet unimpressed and asked, "You're saying that's my life?" Hild just nods with a grin and says, "See for yourself."

Getting out of her seat and walking to the cabinet Ranma hears Hild say something about being careful, just as she pulls the handle on the drawer. And like a rocket the drawer comes out, dragging Ranma with it, it just kept on coming out. From the small case there were feet, then yards, and then a dozen yards of file drawer, two dozen, then three dozen. And then it suddenly stopped, the drawer bobbing up and down slightly with Ranma still clutching onto the handle on the drawer, after being dragged halfway across the room by the drawer.

Regaining her balance, Ranma looks at the impossibly extended file drawer, then back and Hild and asked, "How?!"

Hild just looks at her as a twinkle of glee forms in her eyes as she says in a sing-song voice, "It's magic, don't you know, never believe it's not so!"

Ranma just stared at Hild for that… odd response and then asks, "So… my entire life if here huh?..." Hild nods yes "… even why I got cursed at Jusenkyo?" again Hild nods yes as a single plain manila file folder pushes its way up to be noticed. With one more glance at Hild Ranma walks down the line of files in the drawer and pulls out the folder begging for attention, it's tag corner just a bunch of numbers, she opens it… then her jaw drops as she was expecting a sheaf of some boring papers, what she's seeing is more like a movie with its own soft sound. There she sees herself back when she was a he, Genma taunting him, the Jusenkyo guide warning him… the panda jumping from the pool… then him flying through the air… then a invisible black line altered his course to fall in the Nyannichuan… '_Wait a sec… black line? I don't remember no black line!_' Ranma thought.

Turning to face Hild Ranma asks, "Hey what's this black line comin' from the drowned girl spring mean?"

Hild just says "That is a result of your mothers wish… she wished for you to be drawn to and attracted to young women everywhere… well that spring holds a girls spirit… hence you were drawn into it, in fact that was probably the only spring you could have fallen into in Jusenkyo."

Hearing this, Ranma begins to shake, holding the file so tight that her knuckles are turning white Ranma grits out, "You mean that the wish …NODOKA… made got me cursed!"

"Right on the money Ranma" Hild said back; still in her seat but smiling inwardly at how Ranma referenced her mother.

For a few moments Ranma just stands there, shaking, then she purples in rage as she shouts with all her might, "DAMN THAT BITCH!"

'_Not quite yet, young one…'_ Hild thought with amusement at this progress.

Calmed slightly from her cathartic release Ranma realizes she's feeling funny… almost tired, looking down she sees why as she's glowing with a battle aura in every shade of blue, that is writhing on her body like flame… then she notices she's fading! Bringing her hand to her face she watched as it is there one moment, then faded away to be gone the next, then back again. So entranced was she, Ranma didn't even hear Hild saying something… but she did feel the slap on her cheek. Blinking a few times she notices the aura is gone and that she looks solid again. Ranma then hears Hild as she's saying, "Really Ranma, you have to be careful now, you're a new spirit, your energy is finite! Use too much and you'll burn away!"

To this Ranma just twiddles her thumbs and mumbles, "Sorry…"

"There's nothing to be sorry for Ranma." Hild says backing away from the redheaded girl.

After a few moments of quite between the two women, Ranma asks, "So… what now?"

Now grinning Hild says, "Now Ranma… now you have some choices to make…" Ranma's eyes widen at this prospect of getting to make choices for her own life… well_after-life_ that is, "…first you could go into Limbo and wait to possibly be reincarnated… though through this, you, Ranma will cease to exist when you're reborn…" Ranma thinks about this for about half a second before shaking her head and saying, "No way… I wanna' stay me."

Hild's grin grew a little wider as she continued, "Or you could stay a free spirit here in Niffelheim… which isn't really much. As a free spirit of Niffelheim, you'd need a job, and a place to live… it's all really rather mundane, much like it is on Earth. Or you could take a very hard path at the chance to get your revenge… but it's a long term commitment Ranma, you'd have power, but you can't take it just for revenge… so what is it you want?"

For several moments Ranma thought about the free-spirit thing, as it sounded almost nice to be "mundane" in something… even if it was in death. But as she thought about this; other thoughts of her life being cut away from her by friends and family kept surfacing to the forefront of her mind, each image slowly cementing itself in her pool of now simmering rage and hate. So she makes up her mind, but there are still questions.

"No, as appealing as the free-spirit gig sounds… I really don't think it's for me." Ranma paused to look right at Hild. "But the other one; with the revenge… what's the catch? 'Cause I ain't agreeing to nothin' if I don't now the details."

Taking her seat back into her seat Hild says, "Well Ranma, the last option is for you to become a demoness, like me… and from there… maybe even be my heir as Daimakoujo of Niffelheim."

Hearing the first part Ranma's eyes had expanded to the size of tea-saucers, hearing the second bit they expanded to the size of flying saucers, then all she can do is squeak out, "Demon-princess?... that makes you the Demon Queen!? But Why me?!"

Gently smiling Hild says back, "Yes Ranma, I'm the Queen of Hell…" a twinkle of mischief formed in her eyes, "… and as for why you? Why not you?..." seeing the look of incredulity on Ranma's face Hild speaks more seriously, "As for why you... let's just say that I see a potential in you as you understand Balance…" pausing to look at Ranma with a nasty grin, "… and do you really think you'd be here, and given this choice if I didn't see a potential?"

A vision of being back in Th'rignal's chamber briefly flittered through Ranma's mind as she realized how right and truthful Hild was being. Sucking in her breath she ventured timidly, "But… seriously, isn't there someone else you'd rather have as your heir?"

Still smiling Hild says back in a sad voice "Yes Ranma, there was one other I offered the seat to… Urd… my daughter… she refused though…" she paused and then spoke more to herself than Ranma, "…Urd… she knows so much about the precarious nature of balance… she would've made a wonderful heir…" she looked back at Ranma as continued, "…but Urd turned me down, so now there's you."

During this Ranma's curiosity was piqued at something Hild said, so venturing once again she asked, "Balance? What do ya' mean by that?"

Grinning again Hild said, "Very astute Ranma. Balance is a very important thing; you and your… unique nature can understand this quite well… but first tell me what you know about demons."

Ranma didn't even think as she answered "They're evil?"

To this Hild just chuckled softly and said, "Well yes, they can be considered that way sometimes… but no most of then aren't really. As you see Ranma demons are actually just agents of Chaos, much like the gods are agents of Order. And well… demons have been labeled 'evil' as much of the Chaos we generate isn't very pleasant to mortals."

Liking the way this was turning out to be informative Ranma asked, "But… why make Chaos at all?"

Hild then spoke is a teacher's voice "Imagine this Ranma… a society free of Chaos. Where there is nothing but Order. People would be happy and lead contented lives. Over time they'd become complacent, and over more time lazy and fragile. And then there is some unforeseen event… they end… they die. It could be a war… or a disease… or a meteorite falling from the sky. Even the Universe itself! Do you think there would have even been a "Big Bang" in your universe without a little Chaos to kick-start it? And you see, with a little Chaos in the lives of mortals. Where they are persecuted, or when tragedy and calamity falls upon them, that is when mortals thrive and persevere at all odds! Pain and Death to have Happiness and Life, as it were."

"So…" Ranma began "… you make Chaos to balance the amount of Order the gods make… is that it?"

"Bingo kiddo!" Hild said back enthusiastically.

"And so… Balance between Order and Chaos is really important?" Ranma asked

"It is THE Most Important thing." Hild replied with absolute conviction in her voice.

For several moments Ranma thought, then with a tilted head she asked, "So… IF I accept… what would I do exactly?"

Sighing deeply Hild said, "Surprising not much…" she seeing the odd look on Ranma's face elaborated, "… What I mean is that as far as mortal affairs go… they don't need much help from demons in making Chaos, they do it very well on their own with wars, and murders, crime and politics. Then the souls of the damned and other denizens are mostly taken care of by the Seven Infernal Princes…" Hild then paused, as images from so long ago from before The Great Fall, when she was persuaded by those same Infernal Princes to join the rebellion against Kami-Sama filtered into her mind, she then spoke in a grave tone "What you'd really do, is make sure that the status-quo is maintained. That there are no overly… ambitious or zealous demons and that the universe just keeps on spinning away."

Minutes passed in silence after this as Ranma thought about it all, trying to digest these new complications to her after-life, and by the sound of it, she was being handed one of the greatest responsibilities in the universe. Ranma stole a glance back at Hild as she thought, seeing the white-haired woman, simple pink dress with her eyes closed leaning back into her seat '_Funny, I would'a thought the Queen of Hell would'a been… I dunno'… fancier or somethin'…_' Ranma thought amusedly to herself.

Ranma though had just one more question for Hild as she asked in a very unsure, "If I accept… and I ain't sayin' I am yet or nothin'… what about my curse?"

Hild's eyes snapped open as she thought to herself, '_I wondered when she'd get to that…_' then speaking to Ranma she said to her in the same teachers voice, "Ranma, what exactly do you think a curse… specifically your Jusenkyo curse really is?"

To this Ranma's eyes cross for a moment, then she answers back unsurely "Isn't it just… like you know…Magic?"

Nodding her head absently Hild says back, "Yes… it IS magic, but more to the point is the type of magic: Transformational. That type of magic is an indelible mark on the body, and a Tran-substantial tie that binds to the soul itself. Were someone who was cursed with the spring-of-drowned-octopus…" Ranma shook her head as she STILL couldn't understand how that spring had formed, Hild went on, "… and that person died in their octopus form, the curse magic working through its tie to the soul, would leave the deceased in the soul-form of their octopus shape. Then after death, the magic's and energies that worked the curse just dissipate away. So the same with you Ranma, you were in your cursed girl-form at death, the magic left your soul in the form of the curse, and then left the body…" Hild paused to breathe and looked at the various conflicting emotions going through the young red-head, then answered the unasked questions, "…So yes, now you are a spirit of a whole woman, and will be so even if you take up my offer, as you'll have to learn the correct transformational magic on your own. Jusenkyo just doesn't work for certain intangible supernatural beings I'm afraid. And even if you do learn the magic, it's just a façade, you'll still be as you are underneath."

Ranma then asked in a voice that could have either been weary or fear, "So… I'm a girl for good for now… even if I accept I might not be male again?" Hild can help but to raise an eyebrow at how Ranma finished, it sounded almost… hopeful? Then Hild just nods her head yes and makes an "Ah-hum…" sound, as she watched the tumult of emotions passing through Ranma, though she noticed most were a conflict between Reds of anger and hate and Purples of fear and sadness… or timidness.

Minutes pass, then to Hild's surprise Ranma calms down, and then begins to chuckle… though it's lacking any real mirth. Curiousity raised she asks, "What's so funny?"

Look at Hild, and fighting away her laughter Ranma says back "Oh, it's nothing really… just had the thought that I'm damned if I do… and damned if I don't! Just seems… I dunno'… ironic I guess."

To this Hild says in an admonishing tone "Ranma! Of course you have a choice in the matter; in this I can't force you! And trust me, you aren't damned… if you were damned… well trust me when I say you'd know it!"

Moments more pass, as Ranma idly drums her fingers on the arm of her chair, a resolve begins to form deep in her belly, emboldening her. Then she begins to nod her head to herself as a small smile formed as she said with enthusiasm "I'll do it… I accept freely to be a demon as long as I can still get my revenge Hild-sama."

Smiling right back at Ranma, Hild says happily "First, the most important part…" she pauses "… don't call me Hild-sama, or Hild-dono, or Your Majesty. You're going to be family after all…" she then exhaled with hopeful anticipation, "… do you think you could just call me "Mom"?"

Ranma is silent for several minutes, and Hild is beginning to worry that she might say no… understandably considering how Nodoka treated her…

Then Ranma looks right into Hilds eyes, and, unlike so many other beings in the realms of existence, doesn't flinch, she then turns her smile up by several factors as she says, "I think I can do that…" pause with a inhalation of breath, "…Hild-Mama."

Hearing a phrase she's so longed to hear for so long, Hild chokes up with genuine happiness and just hugs Ranma tightly.

And unknown to all at this very moment a brand new blue thread of brightly lit magic lines and text and fate forms from the nothingness and began to weave itself up through Nidhogg, spiraling and corkscrewing itself through the insurmountable darkness, and around all the other innumerable bands of kaleidoscopic colors of glowing magic lines and spinning reflective gear like wheels of fate… Unnoticed even by goddess Ere, Cronos and Ex in the Yggrassil master control room in Asgard as it slowly cements a tie even there…

- - - - - -

A/N: All proper names are accurate and real. Really, why can't fanfiction be educational as well?

Daimakoujo is as near as I can work it out to be "Demonic Princess" in Japanese.

Lastly, I'm told by my pre-readers that I have "Tense" issues in my writing. Everyone has issues. But I'm working on that one…


	4. Chapter 4 From the Ashes

The timeline of this chapter is about 11 hours post Ranma's death. And if you were to count it up, the timeline of this fic will only be a matter of days, as opposed to weeks, months or years as in so many other fanfictions, once it's complete.

Props go to deathgeonous for pre-reading, and the fine folks at Fukufics for ideas and help.

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7:00 am:

It was still the very early morning as the first light of the day revealed grey bleak skies promising rain as Sayuri stifled a yawn shuffling from her room to the kitchen-main room in her family's relatively small apartment in her blue school uniform. Just yet another day in the remaining school year at Furinken High, then off to collage for the graduating class.

With absent minded ease she clicked on the kitchen TV to the news, then as she began to pour herself some coffee she saw the news anchorwoman with a side-by-side image of both of Ranma's forms in the upper corner of the screen flash up, thinking in bemusement that it was some new set of Ranma inspired high jinks she raised the volume…

"…_this breaking news. At this time investigators are still processing the Tendo Dojo for any possible clues as to how this tragedy may have occurred. When questioned, the Detectives said that they are following up all potential leads, but are not ruling out foul-play; before commenting on how he'd shove the camera our crew on site was using up the cameraman's posterior if he didn't stop filming the scene…" _at that she paused to show a muted clip of a grizzled man in a rumpled cheap brown suit just outside the Tendo Dojo wall yelling something and making fist gestures at the camera, then it clicked back over the Ranma shot as she continued._ "… Once again, Ranma Saotome aka Ranko Saotome aka "pig-tailed-girl", student at Furinken high school, is dead at age 19. A loss for all of Tokyo, I'm sure, and now onto weather…_"

Her face pale and eyes wide, Sayuri swallowed the knot that formed in her thoat, then slowly brought her free hand to her face till just her fingers were barely covering her mouth as she whispered out "oh… my… god…" as her cup fell from the lifelessly numb fingers of her other hand to crash on the floor.

This scene repeated itself many times throughout greater Tokyo that morning…

- - -

* * *

- - -

7:00 am:

In Nekomi, Urd clad only in a violet "naughty nighty" was on her side, head propped up by her hand and fast asleep in front of the static screened TV from staying up to watch the late night adult entertainment, when then the static flickered, once, then twice, and then the TV came to life with the morning news.

With the new sounds and sights flickering on the TV mere inches from her face, Urd raised a single eyelid revealing a horribly bloodshot eye with matching deep bags under it, to glare at the device that disturbed her slumber. Seeing that is was the _**Morning**__**News**_, the other bloodshot eyelid rose, and on some level she decided to adjourn to her bedroom till at least breakfast.

Reaching forward to click off the TV, she couldn't help but to see the anchorwoman announcing the "major breaking news" about the death of Ranma Saotome. "_poor kid…_" Urd though to herself as she clicked off the TV, then stood to shamble her way to her room for a few more wonderful hours of sleep.

When she was almost to her room, she stretched her arms above her head, drawing her lace nighty taught across her body, and yawned, then spoke through her yawn "I wonder why that name _L_anma seems important…"

Then she climbed into her bed, pulled up the blanket smacked her lips sleepily and mumbled, "… whatever it is… no matter…" then she was off in dreamland once more as she smiled happily, almost smirking, and mumbled in her sleep as though it were a great joke, "hmmm… kitty cats…"

Just moments after this, when all the residents of the Temple were once again in the land of Nod, a deeply tanned pre-pubescent girl with shocked-white hair in small ponytails, with a red star shape on her forehead and matching marks on her cheeks, and dressed in a tight vinyl pink jumper mini-skirt outfit slowly faded into existence just at the foot of Urd's bed smiling softly.

Then, as if not trusting her 1/1000 ratio weakened child-form powers telling her that only she was awake, chibi-Hild looked in several directions to make certain, then went to Urd's side, pulled the blanket in tighter, really tucking Urd in, and lightly kissed Urd on her blue diamond forehead mark. Then backed away and whispered with a devious smile, "because soon Urd you'll have a little "_baby_" sister…" then with that just faded out of the room without flourish.

- - -

* * *

- - -

In his dimly fluorescent lit and terribly messy and overworked office in the Central Tokyo Police Headquarters building, Detective Hiro Takajitsu rubbed his tired weary eyes to reread a few lines of text in the folder that was in his hands, then lifted his gaze to look over the veritable mountains of papers on his desk to glare at the two Imperial Agents opposite him; Agent Mr. Kasewagi a well built man with a buzz-cut hair style and in his clean well pressed black on black business suit, and Agent Mrs. Fujito in her equally impeccable black on black business skirt suit, with her hair in a bun on the back and black glasses, though her most distinguishing feature was her shelf-like bust line…

'_Drones…_' Hiro grumbled silently to himself in disgust, then addressed the agents waving the folder lightly, "So… this is for real, the Tendo's, the Satome's, the Kuongi girl, and the Hibiki boy are going to be personal guests of the Emperor…" he paused to catch his breath, and continued in incredulity, "… AND the Emperor wants to preside over the funeral services PERSONALLY?"

To this, Agent Kasewagi just nodded curtly.

Leaning back into his chair and dragging his hand over his eleventh hour facial stubble, Hiro sighed out, "Well, guess I can understand that much… not everyday a friggin' national hero dies… but I'm on the list too… why?"

For a moment the agents share looks, then Mrs. Fujito spoke, "So far you're the only official representative of the government to have any sustained contact with the listed parties, it is felt that they may feel more at ease with a familiar person, and also you do lend a unique perspective on these individuals…"

'_Jeez, I wouldn't exactly think questioning them about a suspicious death would make 'em feel any more "at ease" around me…_' Hiro thought lamely to himself.

"… and their respective fighting abilities, yourself being a detective of this division of the police force…" she then paused to look at the wall clock behind her, then at her wrist-watch "… in fact, I think it best we go now and make contact with them at the hotel they were sent to last evening, and tell them of the plans the Emperor has set aside for them, would you not agree?"

Muttering an absent, "yeah", Detective Takajitsu stood and tried in vain to make his rumpled brown suit and bedraggled necktie more presentable as the trio walked from the detective offices, to the elevators for the parking garage.

Once in the underground parking area, Detective Takajitsu automatically headed for his 1970's brown and severely rusted Toyota-Mini hatchback, that he affectionately calls "shit on wheels", when Agent Kasewagi puts a hand on his shoulder, turning Hiro around and saying, "We've already arranged for transportation…" and with that two gleaming black Limousines both bearing the National Flag of the Rising Sun, and the Imperial Chrysanthemum Flag pull up into the garage.

With one last look back at his "car", Detective Takajitsu's shoulders slump in defeat as he shuffles to get in the vehicles that cost more than he'll see in a lifetime…

The ride to the non-descript witness hotel through the early morning streets of Tokyo was uneventful and companionably silent, with the two agents sitting side-by-side and across from Detective Takajitsu, who was staring out the window and desperately trying to keep from dozing off. All too soon though they were at the unassuming concrete 1970's era modernist styled building, and without fanfare proceeded to their destination…

- - -

* * *

- - -

Soun was confused and lost in thought, ignoring the muted 7:00 am newscast that just came on and just sitting at the table absently stroking his mustache… as absolutely nothing seemed "real" anymore, in his ponderings he realized that things certainly went weird when Genma and his son showed up in their house those few years ago, and from that was all sorts of new and exciting craziness… But now it seemed as though anything and everything was crashing around him, and there was nothing he could do to stop it damn-it!

With a look over at Lizasa Lenaoko-Dono who'd been masquerading as the dreaded master Happosai then a gaze around the table of all the gathered faces, Soun couldn't help but to think '_Have I really been so week and blind?_' He didn't want to answer his thought…

When suddenly Lizasa Lenaoko-Dono said in a surprised voice, "We have guests!" then suddenly in a puff of white smoke the tall grey haired spirit was replaced once more by the short perverted Master Happosai just as there was a knocking at the hotel suit's door. Seeing Kasumi about to get up to answer, Soun waved her off as he raised up to answer the door at this early hour. Were he to turn around he'd of seen the greatly surprised and almost relieved look of Kasumi at his uncharacteristic behavior.

Opening the door, Soun first saw the Detective from last night and two people in black suits he didn't know standing behind. Addressing the man in the disheveled brown suit, Soun asked, "Detective, what do we owe for the purpose of this morning visit?"

At the mention of detective, several people in the room tried to look past Soun's brown Gi garbed backside to see through the door.

Detective Takajitsu quickly greeted Soun, and explained the purpose of the early visit, which then prompted Soun to offer the trio inside where they took seats in front of the assembled Tendo's, Saotome's, and respective Hibiki and Kuongi.

After the traditional bows and greetings are out of the way, Agent Fujitsu turned to the Saotome's and bowed once more saying, "On behalf of the Emperor, he and his family are deeply saddened by this tragedy and wishes you his blessings in this trying time..." at this Nodoka nearly choked, as her tentative temporary control over her earlier outburst threatened to break, "… and with your permission Nodoka Saotome-san, Genma Saotome-san, the Emperor would request that he preside over the funeral personally at the Imperial Palace in full State Honors for heroism to be granted posthumously to Ranma Saotome-san…"

With that said and before the Agent could finish, eyes widened, and all those gathered except the Agents, the Detective, Soun and the faux-Happosai fainted for various reasons… but mostly Shock, Shocked anger, Shocked sadness, Shocked remorse, Shocked bitterness… basically shock du-jour…

Seeing as how this might take awhile for them to wake up to tell them the rest of the plans… Mrs. Fujitsu took a sip of her tea and said "Hmm, good tea…" where Mr. Kasewagi just murmured "Quite so…" taking his own sips, and Detective Takajitsu just rolled his eyes at the "drones"…

The three highly trained government agents after this didn't even notice the faux-Happosai sneak off as he thought, '_I –REALLY- need to speak with those goddesses…_'

- - -

* * *

- - -

Ranma was confused as many minutes ago she had agreed to the pact… then Hild just said with a smile "Follow me." and now they were traipsing through the dim and dank Halls of the Infernal Palace, then Hild swung open some closed doors ahead of them… without touching them, and as Ranma entered, what she saw took her breath away…

Lining both walls of the relatively narrow but very very long corridor were at first glance mirrors, until she noticed that behind her reflections were small blocks of ghostly movies playing in the background of the mirroring where the room –should- of been reflected but was not…

Turning to face Hild, Ranma asked, "What is this place?"

With her gaze at a particular panel Hild replied, "This is your last chance… to REALLY see what may have to be done… this is the Revealing Hall…" with that she made a gesture with her hand and the panel she stood in front of cleared and enlarged into a movie picture quality, as red lines of text scrolled vertically along the right edge. Hild, now seeing Ranma's attention was on the very literal looking glass she continued, "… look closely at this man's life and learn…" again she paused as several images of this man flashed by, some flashed with him beating a crying young woman, others of him "touching" boy-children as he held them down, and lastly all there was, was his grinning face, his madly glinting glasses, and the rapid flashes of a bloodied knife all passing soundlessly. "… that man is in fact a Priest, a supposed man of God… but his sinning actions are all too human…" she paused again, this time the glass showed an apparent trial in a courtroom, then obviously a not-guilty verdict as he jumped from his chair to hug his lawyer and rather distraught looking wife.

Hild spoke, "…there are sometimes when mortal justice fails, even under the face of horrendous crimes, this happens too many times to count, and then sometimes we intervene…" Ranma gasped at what is shown next, as the man obviously working late in his office looked up in fright as a swirling angry red glowing miasma starts to flow off the wall in a door shape, then there's a form of a man in tattered grey robes showing the centuries of wear, the only distinguishing features were his bony hands with mere scraps of desiccated flesh hanging from the bone, and twin glowing red pools of hate for eyes as the figure approached the man. "… an Enforcer, a soul cursed by the Nidhogg system to wander in death to make penance for horrendous actions in life…" Hild muttered and Ranma could tell that now the man was blubbering and begging for his life, for mercy, and even though there was no sound in the image shown, she could tell that the robed walking horror was sneering and asking the man where was his compassion, where was his mercy for his victims of his crimes!?

And then with a negligent swipe of his bony hand the Enforcer violently pulled the mans soul from his body without so-much as a mark, leaving his now lifeless body to drop to the floor, as the Enforcer grabbed the mans lifelessly colored soul, and drags him screaming in terror and begging through the doorway shape of red mist pouring from the wall, and then the man, the Enforcer, and the mist are all gone as if they never were there, all that remained was cooling corpse on the floor, a look on the dead mans face said it all, he was scared to death… and then the looking glass faded back into a hazed partial mirror.

Still looking at the glass Ranma asked Hild in a choking voice, "Why did you show me… that?"

"To make you understand…" Hild says somberly, then asked, "Do you?".

Moments tick by and Ranma's shoulders start to quake slightly, then she nods her head almost mechanically, but what she says next surprises and amuses Hild greatly, "But… that man… he got off easy! I mean he did all those awful things and that's all he's getting!? Why I'd…" Ranma was then cut off by Hild abruptly 'Shushing' her, meaning her mouth still moved, but no sound came forth.

Ranma then looked to Hild with annoyance to which Hild chuckles and said, "Really Ranma, all you saw was his death… after all as you well know, Death is only the Beginning, trust me, souls such as thus are paid back ten fold what they have cost."

Hild seeing that that though was rolling around Ranma's mind and placating her from her outburst Hild said, "Ranma, last chance, what say you, care to make it all final?"

Ranma didn't even think as she nodded her head enthusiastically. After that display in the mirror… the thought of being a part of bringing a sort of supreme infernal justice just resonated in her, and seemed right somehow.

Seeing Ranma's quick nodding just made Hild all that much more excited as she clapped her hands together and said gleefully; "Wonderful! Then let's begin!..." and with that Ranma didn't even have time to blink as darkness enveloped her once more, obscuring the Revealing Hall… next she knew they were standing in a place… Ranma wasn't certain how to describe it other than an endless empty void… no, not a complete void… there was a massive column of light a short distance away. It was simply breathtaking, every imaginable shade and color of light possible all in flowing twisting bands, interspersed with spinning reflective disk-like objects that either bent bands of colored light into new directions or had ropes of multi-hued neon light pass through the serrations in the disks to change colors and pitch. It had no bottom, it had no top, it had no definitive edge… it just –WAS-. Just looking at it made Ranma feel so small, so insignificant, she even noticed a few tears slide down her cheeks slightly from the shear presence it emitted.

"Impressive isn't it?" Hild said sliding up next to Ranma.

"Wh-what is it?" Ranma mumbled out through her… awe.

"That… that is the Yggdrassil/Nidhogg Systems Central Core Construct." Hild said with pride in her voice as she too looked at the device that ran all of creation.

"Why are we here?" Ranma asked moments later. To this Hild just giggled and said back playfully, "Why are any of us here?". She of course was joking with the question she got asked the most… what was the meaning of life?… Ranma just stared vacantly at her, the kind of look that says '_are you insane?_'.

Hild just looked to Ranma for a second before her gaze is drawn back to the Systems Core again, watching it intently she said to Ranma. "Really Ranma, you can be so dense… tsk tsk… why we're here is simple…" she paused and Ranma didn't even blink as Hild's simple pink dress melted away and was instantly replaced by a skin revealing parody of a nurses white uniform, even with a cap and little red-crosses and latex gloves as she then cackled out, "… we're here to cure death! Muwahahah!!"

With very wide eyes Ranma started to say, "But… but I though you'd…" then Hild cut her off saying, "What? That's I'd just snap my fingers and it's all be done Puh-lease!..." truth was Hild –could- do it that way, but this was more fun, "… I mean as you are now, you're a ghost! Persona non Corpus! I can't have my heir be a ghost! I mean the demonic power alone… ever see a water-balloon burst?" Hild paused as Ranma nodded, remembering those awful things that the hentai-horde had tried to hit 'Him' with several times to get a free peep show, she growled in rememberance, "…Well, as you are now, you're like the water balloon, too much power and you'll –pop- as it were. This is why you need a body! And not just anybody, no, you need your living demonic body!"

"But I'm dead! How can you do that?!" Ranma almost shouted in surprise.

Hild just looked at her for a moment with half-lidded eyes and spoke in a bored voice, "What's life as you know it other than a quirk of biology and electrical impulses? Now watch."

With that Hild made a hand gesture, and a large grey stone slab came from… somewhere, and floated just in front of the two of them, then a swirling black vortex formed at one end and Ranma began to see a bit of red through the vortex…

- - -

* * *

- - -

Deep in the bowels of the earth under the Tokyo Central Medical complex there was a series of dimly lit and flickering dark corridors, all tiled in an old puce colored tile, many of the corridors had along one wall or another a series of gurney's with either white sheets, or large black body bags on them to cover obvious human remains. Leading down corridor 3-E there is a large set of double stainless steel doors simply marked "Autopsy" in english. Within the first thing that would be seen would be the two green garbed technicians, ever so carefully stitching angry purple wounds, but obvious dead flesh back together on a once beautiful red-headed girl who was spared no modesty in death as she was naked on the steel table. The technician on the right, obviously a man, was carefully cross-stitching around the shoulder to reconnect it with the body, while the other technician a woman was working on the leg.

Off to the other side of the room was an Agent, the non-descript man in a black suit was trying valiantly to not be sick as he watched and listened, and failing miserably.

The only other person in the spartan room was an old grizzled looking chief Coroner in a bloodied green frock, hobbling around the body on the gurney with a cane in one bloodied hand, and a voice recorder in the other as he continued to speak, "… after reviewing, it's more a question to what DIDN'T kill the girl. Each wound of its own accord is fatal, most notably the decapitation of the head at the third vertebrae and the complete bisection of the torso from the hips in a total hemicorporectomy, and the lesser of the shoulder disarticulation and the transfemoral disarticulation…" at this he paused the recorder to hobble over to a desk, and on the desk was a bloodied unsheathed katana, spatu-ken and bloodied bandana-ken, but the coroner went for a manila file and resumed his narration "…but other than that this girl is quite possibly in the best physical condition I've ever seen. I think I'll even write a thesis on her organs…" a speculative look crossed his face as he scratched at the stubble on his face, leaving a bloody smear, "…As I was saying, the report from the preliminary on the rushed blood toxicology panel analysis is… odd to say the least, there were no known pharmacological drugs present, but countless numbers of herbs, primarily Chinese herbs, some known for libido enhancement, others were stimulants while others are thought to be for submission of free will or complete compliance to other individuals commands… truly baffling…" he paused again, this time to lift his glasses and rub the bridge of his nose, uncaring of the death-blood smears left behind "… to conclude my audio report, and with no doubt in my mind, I'm officially signing off this case as homicide with the cause of death being exsanguination via massive dismemberment trauma, at 7:23am and will be handing my findings over to the Imperial Prosecutors Office shortly."

With that all said, he just leaned back into the uncomfortable steel chair, causing his spine to crackle, then just watched as his two technicians finished the mundane piece-work. Then there was a gasp from the woman, the coroners gaze snapped up to where she was looking, and he gaped at what he saw. There was a swirling black… vertical disk thing at the head of the girl… then it began to slide down the girl headfirst. His jaw then dropped as he witnessed that nothing of the corpse is being left behind in the wake of the vortex!

Then as quickly as it had started, it was over, and four people were left staring in shock at the now vacant stainless steel slab that was occupied moments ago…

- - -

* * *

- - -

As soon as Ranma had seen the bit of red color, the vortex moved from one end of the floating stone slab to the other, and what was left behind it as the vortex vanished made Ranma gasp out is shock and horror… it was her on the slab… or at least it –was- her. With a sense of detachment Ranma walked over and just stared at her dead body from an angle she didn't think possible again after the mirror-clone incident… that being as an outsider. What she saw though maked her sick… seeing lines upon lines of black thread practically covering her body through purpled wounds on her neck, arm, leg and belly… not to mention the Y type stitch work that started above her breasts and went down between them to the navel.

Just as she feels like her stomach was about to bottom out from the sight, she quickly turned around to face Hild, gulping down the knot in her throat and with a shuddering breath asked, "Wh-what now?"

Smiling at the red-head, Hild just says cryptically, "This!" and with that a massive purple glowing magic array of lines, swirling shapes and overlapping stars, just snapped into being in the non-floor under them centered around the slab, as Hild casually walks over to the body, looks at it for a moment, then held out her hand as a glowing ball of light of no real color or definition formed, Hild then looked at the body once more, then to the ball of light and energy as if confirming something, then just held the ball of light over the corpse and let it fall… where it just sank into the skin of the belly without fanfare.

Moments tick by, and just as Ranma was about to say something, she noticed something out with her corpse… it was as if it were blurring, like her vision was out-of focus, then the air around the cold body on the table wavered… once… then twice… then it's unlike anything Ranma had ever seen before, her corpse split apart… but no… not quite… it was now TWO identical corpses on the slab. But it wasn't finished yet as Ranma watched with rapt fascination, also missing Hild's eyes glowing red, as the corpse on the right… the copy maybe? Was taken away by the same type of vortex as before… and the other corpse, at how slowly a dark indigo light began to seep through all the stitched wounds, the stitches then were pushed out of the skin as the skin knitted and healed at an astonishing supernatural speed. What happened next was just as astonishing as the chest of the corpse rose slightly drawing air in through the nose, and the eyes opened slightly revealing milky white and lifeless eyes. Ranma unconsciously pulled the little purple robe she was wearing tighter around her at the sight.

Next Ranma is surprised almost out of her spirit-skin as Hild's voice, quiet but more resonate and ethereal slams though her saying, "Now Ranma, I can't do this part for you, the choice is yours."

Ranma just stared at her own body as it took another small tentative breath, and as if she was being pulled by an unseen force, she walked to the body, and then reached out to touch… but as she does make contact, Ranma's existence flares into whole new definitions of pain as her sight fades into a nothing blank white, and as soon as it started it stopped, leaving Ranma feeling like she ran through a meat grinder. Then there was feeling, and pain, and with a jerking suddenness Ranma bolted upright from the stone slab, ignoring the disorientation of being in a different perception of location, as she coughed and wheezed long shuddering breaths, each one like fire shooting through her and copious amounts of phlegm fly from her nose and mouth, next she's aware of a snare drum going full blast in her head. She was about to cry out in shock and sensory over-load when she realized that the snare drum… was her heart, her –beating- heart. With a few more little coughs, she dragged the back of her hand to clean her face of the yuck there, and then blink-blinked, taking in her sight, first she noticed the small purple robe and slippers were empty on the floor next to the –very- cold slab… meaning she was naked… to this she scrambles off the slab to stand on unsteady feet and reties the robe around her… then glares at Hild who had been giggling.

"There now, that wasn't so bad now was it?" Hild asked with a soothing voice, but despite the process… or her embarrassment, Ranma had to agree… she was already forgetting about it and feeling stronger by the second.

"Well now that you're living and breathing again, would you like to rest for a moment before ascending into a demoness and then linked to the Nidhogg power-tie?" Hild asked her calmly.

Even though Ranma didn't understand the last bit, she nodded and sniffling once she said in a voice of struggling confidence, "Why put off what can be done now?"

Hild smirked at that, then turned to face the Nidhogg systems core again, then spoke in a language older than time that was more like a darkly beautiful song than actual words… then a single point in the massive column of light flared red, and suddenly Ranma had to back away from a young girl that popped into being and was now standing in front of her, scrutinizing her. Only then did Ranma realize that the girl was more like… a red tinted 3-D render or line-art sketch of what a young, maybe 12 year old girl should look like… her features were all there… but just lines of red light and bands of characters of text… and she was hollow, transparent around those lines. Frankly Ranma was freaked out by this girls emptiness, and red tinted gaze. (see A.n. 1.)

"Ranma meet Lilith, the Nidhogg/Yggrdassil Central Systems Core A.I." Hild said reassuringly.

Before Ranma could say anything, the named girl, Lilith, faced Hild, and with a voice lacking almost any inflection spoke resonantly, "I approve. Your command Hild-sama?"

Smirking Hild says to Lilith, "I knew you would… let's see…" she spares a glance at Ranma "…execute capitol priority, Dimakoujo protocols, limited gradual access release to Ranma."

To this Lilith, smirks a ghostly red tinged smirk, and says mechanically, "Compliance." as she faded away.

Hild then faced Ranma and says simply, "Sing."

"What?" Ranma asked confused.

"I said sing, it really doesn't matter what, just sing with me and Lilith. We need your voice." With that Hild turned away from Ranma to face the Central Core, closed her eyes, drew a hand to her chest and sung in deep low tones as haunting melody began, soon there was another voice, Lilith's, Ranma realized. So with an unsure start Ranma just began to hum along trying to match the duet of ethereal sounds as she too closed her eyes.

Minutes pass, the trio of voices filling the void with the sounds of creation itself, dark and haunting, fast and meaningful. Then slowly at first a glowing ring of glyphs and text formed under Ranma, and from this ring hundreds of double-helixes of scrolling text in an array of colors springs up almost like a cage around her. Next the song takes a new turn, as sound like drums and thunder, mixed with trumpets flare are in the mix making an even more dramatic cacophony as the cocoon of light and magical text is struck by a whip of blue lightning directly and continuously fed from the Nidhogg core.

Though for Ranma at this point, everything suddenly stops. No sound. No light. Nothing. Opening her eyes she was greeted to the sigh of nothingness… but slowly the column of light of the Nidhogg faded back into view… but it's different… Ranma realizes why. Before she was outside looking at it… now she was inside the core looking out! Then the dark song slammed back into her with a vengeance.

Then dozens of small spheres of light broke away from the column of light to float lazily around her, then in the din she noticed a whispering of voices, then again it was louder, and louder, finally she could hear it say, "Ranma… Open your mind…" it kept repeating that, a little louder each time, and with it the lights came closer… then the song reached a crescendo, and with banging thunder the voices slam into her, "OPEN YOUR MIND!", and seconds latter each sphere of light smashed into and through her. Each one passing was like a punch to the gut doubling her over, or knocking her back like a rag doll.

With each new ball of light, she began to see flashes and images in her mind.

–FLASH-

A shapeless being of dark and a being of light… it was before the time of the universe itself.

–FLASH-

Hydrogen coalesced. Stars were born.

–FLASH-

Hild with a Man of undistinguishable features, holding a small baby with shocked white hair in a massive golden room filled with strange beings.

–FLASH-

Two armies; one dark and one light battling… all for a Coup D'Etat over creation.

–FLASH-

Hild and the man, and a treaty, the Doublit System. And the greatest sacrifice, Hild having to leave Urd… to Freya, mother of Belldandy and Skuld.

–FLASH-

The son of a carpenter leading prayer in a temple.

–FLASH-

Armies of man marching, and bombs dropping bringing senseless death.

–FLASH-

A black haired boy in Nerima ward of Japan is born.

–FLASH-

A mother almost eagerly singing away her child to lift her burden, unawares of the future pain…

–FLASH-

Stars.

–FLASH-

Lives.

–FLASH-

An image of Ranma herself within the column of light, being struck by dark light... changed.

–FLASH-

Akane pouring a kettle of water over a piglet with a smile… then kissing the man…

–FLASH-

A blond haired woman with haunted red eyes and a manic smile tearing into a corpse with her bare hands.

–FLASH-

Power!

–FLASH-

Infinite knowledge.

–FLASH-

The flashes kept getting faster, and faster. As soon as they came, they were gone, leaving Ranma to only vaguely remember.

–FLASH-

Stars… moving so fast, stars so fast.

–FLASH-

She was moving so fast in the stars, the sights, a horizontal line… it was stars… blurs of light… so much… too much… then There Was Light all encompassing!

Then as suddenly as a snapping of a rubber-band, it stopped. Once more in the void in front of the Nidhogg… then she stumbles in anguish at the loss… of everything… the feeling… she could feel the things she saw slipping away from her mind…

She reached up with her hand to clutch at her head… but stopped. Her hand… was blue… no it was on fire… no, it was flames in every imaginable shade of blue, all roiling chaotically just under her skin. '_What I wouldn't give for a mirror_" was an absent thought… but shockingly a large frameless mirror came into being and floated in front of her, and what was reflected was shocking. It was her… but more like her skin was transparent and barely containing a raging inferno of blue hell-fire… and her eyes made her gasp as they were dark swirling motes of light of infinite depth… Then there's another reflection in the mirror. Ranma whirled around to face it, and is even more shocked… it's Hild… but not Hild. It's as if it was just an outline of Hild, a shape cut-out from reality, then filled with the night sky, as she was black and empty, save for small points of twinkling stars filling the outlined void of darkness in the shape of Hild… and the horrendous spinning red galaxies of her eyes boring into Ranma's soul… literally.

Reality as Ranma knew it suddenly snapped again, and she was looking at Hild… plain… though eccentric Hild, who smiled at her, and just pointed back to the mirror. Turning slowly, weary of what she might see, Ranma looked in the mirror again… and gasped, as she's looking at herself, loose red hair falling dramatically on her shoulders framing her face that now sported a bright red inverted six pointed starburst shape on her forehead and smaller 5 pointed stars on her cheeks, but then her gaze travels lower to see her revived body in a shimmering red Chinese inspired high collar dress… but a dress with slits up to the hips on both sides revealing a great amount of toned leg and the knee high laced leather boots, and an opening at the chest in the shape of an acute star-shape revealing a luscious, almost indecent amount of obviously bra-less cleavage, and the lowest tail of the opening showing off her belly-button, much like what Hild is now wearing.

"Oh my…" were Ranma's final words, after being imbued with Infinite Infernal Cosmic power… she fainted with a slight nose-bleed due from her own reflection.

"Well… that was unexpected…" Hild muttered lamely as she opened a gateway back to the Palace, as she poignantly ignored the sniggering of a certain A.I. program…

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Back in the Tokyo Coroners office, they didn't know how long ago, the corpse of the red-headed girl just fazed back into being on the steel table via a similar black vortex. They'd all been silent at the sight.

Finally the chief Coroner pulled a flask from his desk and took a good long drag, then said, "I'm 3 months from pension, I did NOT see a magic vortex take a body, and then bring it back… did any of you see a magic vortex take a body then bring it back?"

The other three in the room shared a look then shook their heads 'No'.

"Good…" the coroner mumbled as he took another drag from the flask, then shouted, "… get back to work!."

It was just going to be one of those days…

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Th'rignal paused to raise his hand at the massive golden door as he took in a deep breath to calm his nerves, then leaned in to knock… but they opened for him. But as they opened there was a pressure change as hot green tinged gas bellowed out, Th'rignal just about gagged to death from the stench of concentrated death in the gas as he then swallowed the vomit that threatened to rise in his throat.

Gasping in one more breath of almost fresh air, Th'rignal strode proudly into the chambers of his master Prince Sith. The first thing he noticed once his eyes stopped watering, was the absolute lacking of light, even with the doors open to the torch lit corridor, light just wouldn't come in… until a faint red glow began at the far wall, revealing a large golden throne… and the wall of body parts just behind it… some parts were even still juicy… or twitching… But the red glow did nothing to really illuminate the room.

He then stopped walking as he heard something, like something sliding, then there was a soft feminine laugh from somewhere in the darkness, then silence again except for the sound of sliding.

Kneeling in the middle of the chamber and gulping down the knot in his throat, Th'rignal speaks in a wavering voice, "Y-you w-wished to see me, M-my Lady?"

There was again that soft feminine almost insane laughter, then Sith spoke, her voice a true sirens call of amused laughing madness, "Yes… oh yes dear Th'rignal-chan… rumor has it Hild herself paid you a visit yesterday… why's that pray-tell?"

At hearing her, Th'rignal just cursed himself… she already knew everything… but was going to toy with him. At least he had his affairs in order.

Gulping once again he spoke, "Y-yes Sith-sama… Hild came for a soul I had… err… um… procured from Midgard… and well…" he was cut off by her command of, "Silence!"

There was that sliding sound in the distance of the dark again, as Sith spoke again, "And tell me Th'rignal-chan… was there something… special… about this soul that Hild herself would take heed… much less go to the chambers of a pathetic disgusting thing such as yourself?"

Th'rignal almost had enough courage to glower at her belittling him… but not quite as he responded, "N-no My Lady Prince Sith… nothing too peculiar… other than Jusenkyo's touch of the Nyannichuan and an above the board level of Martial fighting skill…" he stopped as he heard Sith mutter to herself, "I wonder…" then she muttered, "She wouldn't…" then she growled, "She would actually…" she paused, "To think she'd make a human…" she all but spat the word, "… her heiress… the outrage!"

Then there was silence once more, aside from the sound of sliding.

"Maybe… just maybe it's time…" Sith spoke to herself, ignoring Th'rignal's presence, "… yes, old contingency plans may just be useful after all… just need to convince the others and…" she paused again, then shouted jubilantly, "YES! We WILL finally do it!" with that the chamber was flooded with golden light revealing to Th'rignal the horrors told in red blood splattered on every surface in the room, and Prince Sith herself in all her terrible glory, iridescent gold hair, her golden pupilless eyes, gold tinted bare breasted skin and the coils of her golden and black scaled snakes body bellow her waist, and her talon like hands glinting in the light.

Suddenly a mad laugh escaped her throat, and before Th'rignal can blink, she has traveled the room, and has coiled herself around him in a crushing grip!

"Yes… yes Th'rignal-chan!..." she paused to run the backside of a talon up his chest and lick an ear lobe with her forked tongue, "… it'll be wonderful! To finish what we all started so long ago!" Th'rignal's eyes widened at that, '_she can mean what I think she means!?_ _Can she?!_' he though franticly as he struggled against her coils.

Suddenly Sith released Th'rignal as she again laughs madly, then she speaks to him, freezing him in his trek to escape, "Oh thank you Th'rignal-chan, you've been such a help! And I don't think I'll kill you as a reward!..." he breathed a sigh of relief and was about to thank her when she again spoke, "…but you let Hild go with that soul far too easily, and did not tell me, so there must be punishment!"

And with that said and before he could scream, she'd used a talon and had severed two of his tentacles from his groin. He bit back the worst of the screaming to just whimpering at the shear amount of pain from the brutal severing of sensitive flesh. Through gasping pain and blood-loss Th'rignal said to Sith in a breaking voice, "T-thank you… S-sith-sama… for your…g-generosity… you're…t-too k-kind!" and with that he began his limp out of the room, but not missing Sith beam a mad smile at him and say happily, "I know!" as she began to chew on the bloodied ends of his two precious severed tentacles with her needlelike teeth… as she though happily to herself all the ways possible to torture the gods and most importantly Kami-Sama…

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A.n. 1 – I was trying to describe The Red Queen holographic A.I. of Umbrella Corp. from the film "Resident Evil".

A.n. 2 – I did the very base of Ranma's costume off of that in Devil Hunter Yohko.

T/B/C!


	5. Chapter 5 The Plot Thickens

Fair Forewarning be unto you, in the next chapters I'm about to mutilate several religions and mythologies.

I'll be using proper and historical and mythological names, just severely out of context.

Though, I did my best research for the best mythological characters so the demons in this fiction are demons in their own mythologies.

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Daimakaicho Ranma, chapter 5.

Modi Operandi

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The otherwise bland hotel room was eerily silent after the two Imperial agents had finished describing in detail the plans already set forth and in motion, with a messy pile of loose official papers strewn about on the table in front of the Tendo's, Saotome's and Ryoga and Ukyo when questions needed explaining.

The total unreality of the situation that the Emperor himself was requesting all of this just made it all the more surreal in their minds.

After several minutes of the silence only being broken by Mrs. Fujito quietly sipping at her tea, there was a thunderclap in the distance accompanied by a flash of light high in the dense dark morning clouds breaking their quiet reverie then Soun Tendo spoke unsurely to the agents, "So… what do we do now?"

As Agent Fujito was still enjoying her tea the stoically quiet Agent Kasewagi answered, "Well, if you're all amenable to it, we've already arranged for transportation for all of you to the Imperial Palace where you'll meet with…" Agent Kasewagi paused as there suddenly were sounds of violence at least one floor bellow them, and even though the agents were in a room filled with some of the best martial artists in Tokyo they both reached for their weapons; a sleek black Glock 9 mil for Agent Fujito and a long barreled .44 Desert Eagle for Agent Kasewagi.

Then there was the distinct sound of muffled shouting just down the hall from the door to the hotel suit, then the shouting was closer and the two agents could clearly make out at least, "KASUMI!"

Then without warning other than the continued sounds of pain, a uniformed police officer, one of those that had been stationed for mundane guard detail, burst through the suits door as a flying projectile, sending splinters of wood spraying through the room as he continued his uncontrolled flight into a wall at the far side of the main room. In the dust of the hall just outside of the now ruined door there became visible the shape of a man that then screamed, "KASUMI!" and just as agent Kasewagi was about to take a head shot to put the maniac down… Kasumi got up and ran so fast that she practically teleported herself into the settling dust and into the man. The maniac could then be heard clearly raving, "Ka… Ka… Ka… Kasumi! Fa… fa… fancy meeting you here!" then there was a sound of a very hard slap and as the dust finally settled they could all see Kasumi rather disheveled and haggard form in a simple day dress leaning into a man and crying. The man a rather tall nebbish looking fellow with long brown hair in a black Gi and glasses glinting in the light as he tentatively wrapped his arms around Kasumi.

As Kasumi broke down all those people within the room couldn't help but to listen as she spoke through her sobs, "Oh Tofu please… please don't be silly… please… don't… not now… it was so awful! It was so… so… (sob) Papa and Auntie Saotome found out and demanded marriage… and then Ranma's friends Ukyo-chan and Ryoga-kun showed up… and… they fought… and Ranma went flying… (sob) and Ranma came back… and they fought again! (sob) oh it was awful and the blood! Ranma and her head… and blood! (sob)… so much…" as Kasumi's words faded into soft incoherent mumbling sobs Tofu just stroked her back and made gentle reassuring noises as he said, "Shoo shoo… it's okay, it's okay Kasumi… um… dear… I'm here now, I know… I saw it all on the TV, I came as soon as I could… it'll be alright…"

With a measured look at Tofu and the suddenly emotionally broken girl, Agent Kasewagi looked back to into the room to assist the downed police officer, and was surprised as he saw the man he thought might be dead or at least in need of immediate medical care, stand up and simply shake his head to clear it and lightly dust off his clothes as though nothing had really happened… he didn't even look bruised. Poking his head out the door around the young couple standing there he was even more surprised to see the other two officers just getting back up like the officer in the room, and he assumed the same would be true for the few other officers the good Dr. Tofu must've plowed through to get to Kasumi.

Holstering his weapon Agent Kasewagi coughed just loud enough to get Tofu's attention and said, "Dr. Tofu… you Do realize it's a high crime to assault officers of the crown, do you not? That's not to mention the damages to the building…"

"Err… well… that is… I um… you see…" as Tofu floundered under the stare of the Imperial agent still being the rock for Kasumi to lean on, he only then seemed to realize how much trouble he may have caused to get to her. But thankfully Agent Fujito approached and smiled thinly at the good Doctor then to Agent Kasewagi and said, "I do believe we can let this one slide considering the unfortunate circumstances, wouldn't you agree Kasewagi?"

With yet another measured look at the doctor, Kasewagi sighed in defeat and said, "Well… seeing as there's been little to no permanent harm done… and considering the… rather well… impassioned state the doctor was in… I believe we can let this go just this once. Now that the excitement is over I believe it best we head off now… doctor Tofu, if you would be so kind to release Miss Kasumi as the Tendo's and Saotomes and the two other children are expected at the palace…" before Kasewagi could finish speaking Kasumi had whirled around to face him and in a stern voice that brook no argument said, "He's coming."

In a rather weak voice from the normally robust Agent Kasewagi he said, "But… Miss Kasumi, you see there's a procedure and he's not listed and …" before he could stammer out anymore Kasumi reiterated with a glare marring her already teary face, "He's coming. That's Final."

With a light smirk Agent Fujito slapped Kasewagi on the back and said, "Face it Kas', you've lost…" she then turned to face Kasumi and Tofu and said, "…alright Miss Kasumi, Tofu may accompany you if he so wishes to." Tofu's emphatic nodding as he drew Kasumi tighter to himself was all the answer Agent Fujito needed.

Turning to face the rest of the still rather startled people in the room Agent Fujito said, "Now if you're all quite ready we have transportation waiting for all of you downstairs… oh, and Detective Takajitsu… if you would be so kind as to get the door on the way out…" Hiro Takajitsu glowered at her retreating backside thinking, '_I'm not her lackey, how dare she order me around!_' as she about-faced and walked through the ruined door and down the hall.

Minutes pass silently as the Tendo's, Saotomes along with Doctor Tofu, Ryoga and Ukyo follow behind to two Agents leaving Hiro still seated, with a quiet cursing he too got up and was about to leave the room… but then cursed some more and gathered what little was left of the door and propped it up in the door-way just as he left the room muttering about snobby Imperial agents and bossy women always ordering him around…

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As the elevator doors that adjoined the hotel and its parking structure opened with a slight ping, there was a sudden flaring or flashbulbs momentarily blinding the Agents, as well as the Tendo's, Saotome's and company within the elevator. The flashing lights of cameras continued as the people behind them… the press all began a collective barrage of questions.

"Nodoka Saotome! AP News International! What do you have to say about allegations of parental abandonment and abuse by Nerima Ward citizens?!" A rather well dressed American man shouted as he thrust a microphone in her face through the elevator doors.

"Detectives, Tokyo Morning Paper, are the rumors of the Imperial Crown involving itself in this matter true?!" A short old rat-faced woman shouted as she scribbled furiously at a note pad.

"Soun Tendo! Sky News! What do you have to say to your critics of harboring the wanted criminals Happosai and Genma Satome!?" A tall lanky Englishman shouted as he swung the gaff microphone of his camera at Soun.

"Ryoga Hibiki! World Travelers Gazette! Is it true you walked the circumference of the earth no less than three times in your quest to kill Ranma Saotome!?" A woman shrouded completely by her camera gear shouted over the din at Ryoga.

"Akane Tendo! Tokyo Adult Review! Is it true that with your sapphistic lover Ranma, you developed a Lesbian BDSM based martial art?!" A fat greasy looking Japanese man shouted towards Akane as he sneered lewdly and scribbled away in a note pad.

"Miss Ukyo Kuongi! Osaka Morning Post! Your comments on the tragic death of a national hero?!" Shouted a very short woman at the back of the other press agents jumping up and down with her microphone in one hand and Nikon still camera in the other to get her shots in over the others.

As more questions and accusations continued to be hurled at the occupants of the elevator and before any of the civilians screwed-up by opening their mouths, Agent Fujito cursed to herself and slammed her dainty hand into the door close button and then hit the Up button as Kasewagi began speaking softly into his suit lapel.

As the elevator reversed itself to go up, up and away, a frown formed on Genma's face as he turned to the agents and asked brashly, "What the hell was all that about?!"

Without taking her eyes off of the elevator doors Agent Fujito answered him simply disregarding Genma's harsh tone, "Unfortunately the situation hit the media before we could curb it effectively… or spin it more favorably… so all this has made all the big news and the internet already and the people are eating it up wanting to see more like it was a tactless evening drama… Fortunately though we've had the foresight to arrange alternate transit standing by just in case…" at that instant the elevator slowed to a stop, and again with a ping the doors opened to show the Hotel's parking buildings barren roof top… then the occupants of the elevator were buffeted by strong gusts of wind followed by the screaming whir of engine noise as a sleek black helicopter emblazoned with the Imperial Chrysanthemum landed with a great wash of wind just outside the open elevator doors.

At the sight of the large machine representing Japan's Imperial Might, more than one set of jaws hung agape at the sight, and as Nabiki began to feel faint and wobbled on unsure feet Agent Kasewagi, ever the gentleman, steadied her, whereas Nodoka actually slightly fainted and Detective Hiro Takajitsu "_unfortunately_" couldn't reach her in the confined space so down she went with a meaty thud.

Still standing facing the front of the open elevator, Agent Fujito cast a quick sideways glance at Genma and Soun pulling a just-barely conscious Nodoka to her feet, and she couldn't help but to have a small secret smirk at Genma's narrowed gaze at Detective Takajitsu.

'_And here I though the good Detective didn't have a sense of humor…_' Fujito thought to herself, and continued _'… and not married either I see… and such roguish good looks in a stereotypical sleuth-ish way…I wonder…_'

Her musings on the manly qualities of Hiro Takajitsu were interrupted by Agent Kasewagi standing just outside the elevator with his arm outstretched holding the mechanical doors open then clearing his throat while smirking at her, then said with a touch of almost amusement in his voice said, "If you're all quite done… we DO have a helicopter waiting…"

With that the parties began to step out of the elevator, braving the wash of wind from the spinning rotors to walk the short distance to the helicopter, and just as the helicopter crew were helping the people up and aboard the flaying machine, Agent Fujito could hear over the engine noise Akane saying in a struggling voice, "Come on Ryoga! They're going to leave without us!"

Turning around to look, Fujito could see Akane pulling on Ryoga's arm with all her might with no success as Ryoga seemed to be firmly rooted in his spot in the elevator with a look of abject terror on his face as he stared at the helicopter.

Jogging back over to the two youths as fast as her sensible heeled shoes would allow, Agent Fujito shouted to the two, "Is there a problem here?"

"I don't know! Ryoga just won't budge even an inch!" Akane shouted back to the older woman as she kept pulling on Ryoga's arm, but now with her feet against the wall to get more leverage on the bandana wearing boy.

Finally Ryoga said in a quaking voice, "…I …I …I c-can't d-do this! I-it's not right being in the air like that! There are cars down on the ground! Can't we PLEASE take one of those? Just please please don't make me get in that thing!" Ryoga half babbled half begged of Agent Fujito.

Fujito quickly and correctly deduced that Ryoga must've had a fear of heights or possibly more to the point; Flying. She assured him in as calm a voice she could over the engine noise, "Ryoga Hibiki! It's perfectly safe! One of the safest ways to travel, plus this machine is of the Imperial fleet, so it's one of the safest in the nation, you have nothing to be afraid of! Look at me!..." she paused as he mechanically tilted his head to look at her then she continued, "…I promise you that it's safe! Do you trust me?" Ryoga not taking his eyes off of her nodded unsurely once, and with that gesture she took his one free hand in her own, and with Akane's help, half walked and half dragged a stiff Ryoga to the helicopter. And just as they were about to board, Ryoga made to turn and run, but Kasewagi already aboard and tired of the foolishness grabbed Ryoga up by his shirt collar and dragged him into the cabin of the machine and not too gently threw the startled boy into a free seat.

With a withering gaze Kasewagi looked over all the people in the helicopter as the flight crew continued to buckle them in to prepare for take-off , then said, "Are there going to be any OTHER problems?" to this there was a consensus of head-shaking. Seeing as how things seemed to be alright with the civilians, Kasewagi turned to get into his seat… but bumped into Fujito… who was giving him 'The Look'… and frankly it made him nervous as hell as he said, "What? We're on a schedule… and plus the gas for this machine to just idle like this…" he trailed off as Fujito shook her head and strapped into her seat with a quite muttering of "Baka", which unfortunately for Kasewagi he heard as at that moment the doors to the machine closed, making the rear cabin whisper quiet.

Soon though with a slight jerking suddenness, the helicopter lifted up leaving behind terra-firma, but leaving Ryoga a nervous wreck as he clutched at the arm rests of his seat and began to hyperventilate, Akane who, as luck would have it, was seated next to him put her hand over his in a reassuring gesture, along with flashing the lost boy a brief smile… which he returned shakily.

Minutes pass as all the people, minus Ryoga who was intently staring at his shoes, were looking out of the many windows of the helicopters passenger cabin to see a rarely seen view of the Japanese Capitol City, when suddenly there was a brief bit of air turbulence shaking the flying machine too and fro, and during this the bottle of water that the flight crew had ever so politely given Nodoka to soothe her head and frayed nerves, which she had only been gently sipping from, slipped from her still dazed grasp… and for just a moment hung in the empty air of the helicopters cabin… that is until the seemingly harmless bottle of cold water targeted the two Jusenkyo touched passengers… though due to the immutable laws of physics in relation to inertia and location, was only able to douse one with its watery contents… and thus successfully transformed one bandana wearing boy into a small piglet.

Now at this, the two Imperial Agents and Tokyo Detective took notice but were already expecting the results so they shrugged off the oddity, and while the flight crew saw the transformation… they saw nothing and went about their business… after all they were paid very well by the Crown to not see anything, to not hear anything, and to not say anything… But the Nerima crew all took intense notice. There had been Ryoga… where there now sat P-chan… and Akane had not only seen the transformation, but had also been holding Ryoga's hand. Any second now the Nerima gang was expecting Akane's first ever mid-air explosion.

Tense seconds pass for the Nerima Crew… waiting… waiting for the violence and shrill screaming at 10,000 feet. But none came.

What happened next though totally floored all of the Nerima Crew as Akane said in a kind almost loving voice, "Come here Ryoga-chan… you can sit in my lap until we can get you some hot water and change you back." With that the piglet squealed in delight slightly, and trotted into her lap and settled down happily as she petted him gently stroking his course black hair.

Ukyo was the first in the group to reel her jaw off of the floor, and in a voice oozing with surprise and incredulity shouted across of the seating aisle, "You know about his curse!?"

With a frown Akane said back "Of course I know about his curse, I'm not stupid you know Ukyo!"

"H…how'd you find out sis?" asked a pale uncertain Nabiki from her seat next to Akane.

"Jeez… it's kind'a a hard thing to miss when the guy your snogging with changes into a pig in your arms wouldn't you say Nabiki!" Akane said acerbically… then her eyes widened, as well as P-chan/Ryoga's, at her ill-fated admission.

Kasumi who was still clutching onto Dr. Tofu gasped and then said with a slight frown, "But Akane… I thought you and Ranma were… well you know… but Ryoga too…?"

"Well that is to say… errm… Ranma's just so cute as a girl… but Ryoga is so well…" as Akane blushed through her stammering.

Nabiki quickly caught on to what her devious little sister had been pulling right under her nose as Nabiki said with a scowl, "… I see... you were two-timing Ranma weren't you? No no wait, let me guess… my pervert smashing sister… was diddling Ryoga's dog… but licking Ranma's bun? Am I even remotely close_sister dear_?!"

Akane opened her mouth to protest… but after a second closed it with a click as her face betrayed her with a burning blush and slight look of guilt was all the answer that was really needed.

With narrowed eyes and a tight jaw, Soun glanced at the agents then said in a quieted harsh voice to Akane that made her flinch, "We. Will. Talk. Later. Daughter…" he then reached over and plucked Ryoga/P-chan from her lap and held the struggling porcine up in front of his face and hissed, "… and You Mister Hibiki… and I are going to have a long talk as well!"

Suddenly there came over the in-cabin speaker system "We'll be touching down in '5' people, all passengers are to remain seated..."

With one more harsh glance at Akane who looked like she was about to cry… or at least shed crocodile tears… Soun said to her, "This isn't over…" then looked at the Saotome's to see Genma's blank glare at Ryoga/P-chan and Nodoka's glossy eyed look at Akane and almost quivering lower lip… Soun just heaved a deep sigh and leaned forward and put his face in his hands as the helicopter made its descent onto the landing pad of the Palace…

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Lady Prince Sith in a more human looking guise with legs instead of her naga-snake tail, but still with her golden skin, hair and eyes and red infinity mark (an 1) on her forehead, stared dispassionately from her high throne of Council Leader at the vacant elaborate gold and bejeweled thrones cast in the light of the open Oculus in the ceiling of the otherwise dark Great Domed Council Hall of the Infernal Seven Princes, all were placed around a design inlaid into the floor of an arcane magical array made of seven stylized interlocked and interwoven Arabic numeral sevens in various colors of stone. The light from the Flaming city of Muspelheim pouring in from high above though the oculus only seemed to cast the room with an even greater air of importance… and a palpable ominous feeling of concentrated and absolute evil.

'_I know calling this meeting is abrupt… but they could at least make the attempt to be punctual… and I even put on __**clothes**__ for this, how disgusting!_' Sith thought to herself in boredom as she absently tugged at the green silk like vest she was wearing to make herself "decent".

Finally after interminable minutes had passed there was a fluttering in the air, then without warning a small cyclone sprung to life over the throne farthest from her, it only lasted for a brief second, but when it was gone, there sitting in the throne was "The Wind" Lix-Tetrax a rather bishonen demon with sky blue hair and eyes with three wavy horizontal red lines on his forehead as his demon mark, wearing his prideful overconfident smirk as he made his flowing yellow and blue wind patterned robes more presentable as he sat.

Next to arrive in a flare of green fire to the right of Lix-Tetrax was Zipacna, the dark skinned and black haired hulking giant of a demon, naked except for his skirt made from the stitched together skin of human hands and his golden vertical disk headdress that actually accented the large red square on his forehead and his large unblinking golden slit eyes.

Then to the left of Lix-Tetrax a small sphere of pink light gently formed and expanded, then it vanished with a sound akin to a pleasured feminine sigh as it revealed Empusa, smiling lightly and rolling her heard side to side as though she was recovering from an orgasm, she was currently taking the form of a typical bleach blond bimbo in a barely-there painted on pink mini-dress as she languorously stretched herself across her throne and coquettishly brushed some hair from her face showing off her demon mark of some gently curving vertical lines… a mark that if oneself were to look at abstractly would see a certain part of female anatomy, and coincidentally drawing the attentions of the two male demons to her current impressive sexual physic.

Sith was about to shake her head at the Shapeshifting Lust demoness' antics when to Sith's own right Mammon just slowly faded into being without flourish, the shifty-eyed bird-like demon with a hooked nose and demon marks like red wings on his forehead was more modernly dressed in a sharp three piece black and burgundy pinstriped zoot suit and an excessively wide brimmed black hat with several purple plume feathers in the band. Though as he seated himself in his seat all the gold chains and medallions around his heck and gold rings on his fingers made quite a tinkling noise through the great hall.

Then back to her left Sith watched as there was first a shrieking thunder-clap sound then a flare of black lit whips of roiling mists, solidifying, then vanishing, leaving behind Kali. The four armed dark-skinned demoness wore no facial expression as she used one set of arms to straiten her sleeveless black duster coat, and the other set to adjust her necklace of fifty shrunken human heads and to brush away a lock of black hair revealing her mark of a simple red horizon line spanning her forehead with a simple little red dot bellow it and between her eyes.

Lastly to arrive to Kali's left and the right of Empusa, taking the last seat in a vertical geyser spray of water was the hulking fat black skinned demon Akibu, if he was wearing anything, it was obscured by his excessive rolls of fat, the only other distinguishing feature other than the bone he was using to pick his teeth with was two red ellipse shapes on his fat creased forehead. Sith was just immensely pleased that it was Kali and Empusa next to him and not her, as even she didn't want to have to be near and smell him…

Once it was obvious all were there, seated and waiting, Sith began to speak with an amused slowness, "I appreciate your all coming on such short notice… but I think you'll all agree that this could be… most… interesting…" with that in the center of the array of sevens a beam of light arose, then formed distinct shapes and colors until it was a hologram of Ranma's 19 year old handsomely developed male form rotating slightly, and Empusa whistled appreciatively at the sight of manliness, "…may I present to you all, the mortal human Ranma Saotome…" she paused again as the hologram shifted to show Ranma's female form, "… as you can see this mortal was MOST interesting indeed…"

Sith was then interrupted by Zipacna who practically growled out in his deep baritone, "Sith, is there a –point- to you showing us some pathetic gender-shifting mortal human?!"

Waging her talon-like finger at Zipacna, Sith said back in a voice that was less slightly amused and more irritated, "Patience, patience Zi-chan! As I was saying, this Human… Ranma died yesterday at the Midgard time index of 19:23 hours Japan time and her soul was collected as per a mortal wish contract by one of my retainers, the Shikima Th'rignal. Now what's interesting is that not long after Th'rignal had come into possession of the soul, Hild herself came into MY Keep Tower, and into Th'rignals chamber… and demanded the soul of this Ranma… as patronage."

For a moment there was silence, until Lix-Tetrax said in a voice almost dripping with curiosity and incredulity, "Hild, the Great Demon Goddess, High Queen of all under creation, instigator of the Great War, divide, and fall… has taken interest in the soul of one of those vermin humans?"

Sith leaned forward a bit and wearing a truly sinful smirk said, "Oh yes, that's quite right, imagine my surprise when I felt her power flair only a few levels below me? But no, there's more to this than meets the eye… surely you all felt the flux in your power-ties to the Nidhogg power core earlier?..." all those gathered before her nodded yes, "… well, after looking into it, not long after Hild had collected this Ranma's soul, she activated a deeply hidden series of commands in the Yggdrassil/Nidhogg Central Core…" this news didn't surprise the gathered demons as there were all sorts of mundane commands in that system, ones that did little unimportant things like Gravity and keeping the hundreds of billions of galaxies spinning in check, "… now what's interesting was the name and contents of the command, The Daimakoujo Protocols, pass name Urd was amended to Ranma as were the infernal power access commands…" more than one set of eyes began to widen as realization struck as Sith continued, "… yes, that's right, Hild has chosen an heiress… a HUMAN as her heir at that!"

As soon as she said that there was an uproar of voices several shouting at her, others bickering back and forth at each other, soon though Sith's amusement at their antics wore thin, so she held up a hand, and immediately there was silence.

With order regained, Mammon with a face reddened by anger spoke in his gravely but infuriated voice, "Hild… she would –dare- to presume have one of those lowly humans lord over US?! This I WILL NOT stand for!"

"As much as I loath to… I must agree with Mammon. It was bad enough she chose that ungrateful Halfling daughter of hers… Urd… as heir, but a human can not be tolerated!" Zipacna stated with defined vehemence in his voice.

"Settle Mammon-chan, Zi-chan, I have a plan… this is why I've called us all together."

"And exactly –what- plan do you have for –this- situation oh great goddess of evil?" Mammon shot back at Sith sarcastically.

Smiling slightly, and seemingly paying more attention to her talons, Sith said, "Oh, my plan is simple, we finish what we all started so very long ago, but utilize our back-up plan as well this time in the conquest."

For a moment silence hung heavily in the air until Akiku spoke in a voice that even -sounded- FAT, "You don't mean we…"

"I do actually." Sith said cutting him off; and still smiling at her glinting talons.

"And… should we refuse to go along with continuing the hostilities against the Celestials of so long ago?" Akibu asked Sith, and was rewarded for his curiosity by a golden energy-blade now poised at his neck cast by Sith.

Sith then spoke in a calm slow voice, not smiling at all. "If you chose not to… well, that is your choice. But in that case I'd have no further need of you obviously… and remember the doublet system doesn't apply to our… interpersonal… conflicts. Actually even if the doublet did work that way… killing you would kill a god… a win-win as the humans say…" Sith paused then sat straight and allowed the energy-blade to dissipate as Akibu used a fat finger to push it away from his neck as it did so.

"… now then, whose game?" Sith said with her usually insane grin.

Moments pass, then a speculative look comes to Kali's face, then she smiled lightly, something which Empusa cringed at as a smiling Kali is never a good thing, then Kali speaks with a deliberate slowness, "I like it… I really do… and what of this Ranma and then the Earth?"

As if the questions were a rhetorical concept to her Sith just said, "Ranma we'd just kill of course… as for the earth… Hmm it does have quite a human infestation doesn't it?"

As Sith paused in thought Mammon then spoke a suggestion, "For earth I have 40 legions of The Pits finest warriors all it would take an allotment of pooled magic to power the gates then…"

Mammon was then cut off by Empusa saying, "It's always legions this, and legions that with you isn't' it? I've hoards of hundreds of broods of starving succubae that are just killing for a good meal and a good lay… both at the same time if possible and that's not to mention the…"

Empusa was cut off from continuing her lewd plans of destruction by Lix-Tetrax saying with typical arrogance, "Bah! The pests don't deserve such a fate… no… we should conjure great storms and floods to…"

This back and forth bickering may have continued forever… literally… except for the shout from Sith, "NO! The humans don't –deserve- to be killed by our magiks… no… we need something else… something more for… population control… precision…" Sith paused in though as she rapped her talons against her throne, then shouted, "…I have it!..."

"Have what Sith?" Empusa asked, more out of a feeling of being left out rather than actual curiosity.

"Simple… Scorched Earth!... the humans have grown strong and have harnessed the power of the Atom, all we need to do is use their own weapon!"

"I like it… but we'll have to act quickly if time is to be on our side." Kali said, and the others silently agreed with her point.

Moments tick by, then Sith shouted "Then what are you waiting for?! Go! We must prepare!" and with that one by one, the Infernal Princes transported out from the chamber by the same means they arrived until only Sith remained.

Minutes pass in comfortable silence, then hidden from behind Sith's throne a lone figure, a Asgard Goddess walked out to face Sith in her throne. Sith just scrutinized the white body-suit clad goddess with her light blue hair and eyes and three blue dot marks on her forehead making an inverted triangle.

Finally Sith speaks almost warmly, "So Rind, you now know what it is we are about to do… are you still so certain you wish to assist us?"

Gulping slightly under the gaze of the elder demoness, the now named Rind answered "While I have severe trepidations over your plans for the humans… I must agree that it is time for change… more recent events only furthered to illustrate this point to me… so yes… I'll help…" with that Sith threw a small bottle at Rind which she caught, then looked at the bottle made of dark glass and in the form of a woman in a frozen agonized twisted and tormented scream, "…the tears of a demoness." Rind then whispered out in awe.

Looking back up to Sith, Rind asked, "Where did you ever get tears of a demoness?"

To this Sith just smiles wanly and gave Rind a knowing look, that all but said the tears in the bottle were Sith's own.

Sith then said simply, "I've already cast the proper enchantments on the tears, all you need to do is cast the spell, think you can handle that?" to that Rind just nodded once.

As it seemed like all the converse was done, Rind was about to transport out of the place of darkness when suddenly Sith arose from her throne and approached her, what happened next was an even bigger surprise as Sith grabbed Rind into a tight hug ignoring the small flashes of lightning grazing her skin, then said in a somber voice filled with emotion, "Just… just be careful… little sister."

In that moment shock beyond words ripped through the barriers in Rind's mind that had been there for many millennia, then they collapsed as she slurred out in an almost trembling voice, "I…I will… b-big s-s-sister."

For several minutes the two long separated sisters just rebonded until they both let go and backed away from each other letting the mini-lightning dissipate, then Rind said lamely, "Well… I'd better go now… there's just so much to do…" and with that a sigil of holy golden light formed under Rinds feet and consumed her in a golden teleportation beam up through the oculus in the dome to carry her at least to Midgard if not all the way to Asgard.

Back in the domed council hall Sith remained staring at the small spot of purified white marble floor stones, rapidly darkening to a dull gray black again as the surrounding corruption retainted the single spot cleared by holy goddess magic. Then Sith smiled broadly, then stifled a light giggle, then chortled slightly, then a little more forceful laugh escaped her lips, soon though she was in a roaring laughter filling the vast domed room with the echoes of her mad laughter as she continually thought, '_**FOOLS!**_' and continued to plot her own separate plans between her bouts of insane evil laughter…

- - - - - -

(an 1. Infinity mark, a symbol of a snake eating its own tail making a circle, or loop.


	6. Chapter 6 Ah! Enter Goddess' part I

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Daimakaicho Ranma

Chapter six: Ah! Enter Goddess'!

Part I

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It was a bright sunny day in the Nekomi Tariki Hongan Temple where a trio of sisterly goddess' resided on earth, and where currently the heavenly aroma's wafting through the house from the kitchen were signaling yet another culinary delight being prepared by the middle sister, Belldandy, witch was in-turn rousing the eldest goddess Urd from her alcohol tinged slumber.

Sitting up in her purple canopy bed, Urd smacked her dry lips sleepily as her stomach made its presence known by grumbling loudly causing her to smile embarrassedly to herself and to quicken her morning ablutions, so with literal supernatural speed she was washed, coifed and dressed in a tight fitting purple mini-skirt, a red blouse that was bordering on 'tube-top' and a cheetah pattern mini-jacket, this was not to mention all of the gold bangles and baubles, and was soon making her way down the hall to the dining room so as to not miss the unveiling of yet another culinary masterpiece… But before she reached the sliding door she heard her sisters talking animatedly… more specifically she heard Skuld griping over something… so to be the proper big sister, Urd held back to… well… "_spy"_ is such a nasty word… on what dear impressionable Skuld may be talking about.

After a few moments of listening to Skuld prattle on, Urd was getting bored and was thinking that she might as well go in and await Belldandy to serve breakfast, when what she heard Skuld say venomously through the paper-door caused all the color to drain from her tanned face and her jaw to drop.

…"_I can't believe that __**Halfling**__ could be so… so… agh!_"…

Urd was no stranger to prejudice of course, she'd often enough heard both Infernals and Celestials whispering about "_that Halfling_" when she was around… but to hear that from her dear little half sister was such a deep blow…

'_I'm not going to cry…_' Urd thought to herself as she turned around sharply to settle her nerves, only to run right into Keiichi who was looking at her concernedly.

Finally after several awkward moments Keiichi asks, "Urd… are… are you okay?"

"It's… that is… it's um nothing... just not enough sleep you know…" Urd said dismissively and with an obviously false stretching-yawn for emphasis.

Keiichi didn't buy her act for even a second and said, "Urd… really what's wrong? You looked so lost for a moment there… I'm your friend… you can tell me if something's upset you…"

"Like I said… it's nothing… I just you know… overheard Skuld say something about a Halfling… no biggie… " Urd said looking uncomfortable and trailing off into a mumble.

An odd look crossed Keiichi's face as he then curiously asked, "Urd… what's a 'Halfling'?"

Urd let out a small strangled laugh and said dismissively, "Oh that… it's just what… well I know it sounds silly… but it's what some gods and demons call other gods or demons whose parents are one god and one demon… you know mixed and all that… a silly nothing like I said… Now come on, I'm sure that Belldandy is waiting…"

Urd was just turning to head into the dining room trying as hard as she might to clear her head of unpleasant thoughts when Keiichi's hand grabbed her by the shoulder, and with a surprising strength he turned her around and looked right into her eyes… What Urd saw there she couldn't clearly identify… it was almost like anger.

"Are you saying…" he paused to take a deep breath, "… did Skuld call you this 'Halfling' word?" Keiichi said with a frown.

Urd opened her mouth to say something… but then clicked her mouth shut, then she sighed and then with none of her usual animated vigor she turned her head to look at the still closed door and said, "Keiichi… just drop it. It's nothing. I've heard it all before so I just tune it out, so just leave it alone 'kay?" with that Urd made to head for the door.

But before she could reach the door, Keiichi brushed past her and barred her path saying, "I may not know a lot of things gods and demons Urd, but I know how words can really hurt, and Skuld's crossed the line with this!" Then Urd's image of the calm quite easy-going young man standing before took a serious blow as with great force he slammed the sliding door open with a loud bang and shouted, "SKULD!..."

---

* * *

---

Skuld was not having a good morning… she didn't have much of a good night either as her room was adjacent to the dining/living room where the TV was… and were all through the night Skuld had to listen to Urd hoot and holler… and then all the moaning and words like "harder!" and "faster!" emanating from those later night TV shows that Urd watched kept her awake until way way past her bedtime.

So with reddened sleepy eyes Skuld had tiredly walked into the dining/living room… and saw the complete and absolute mess that Urd had left the room in from her late-night activities. From the empty beer cans on top of the dearly precious television, leaving, nasty smelly, sticky rings, to the Urd-shaped ring of empty plastic junk-food baggies littering the floor.

But what she saw next truly drove Skuld into a conniption fit as she saw her beloved older sister come out of the kitchen to set a hot covered platter on the table, but then sigh and bend over to start picking up the litter on the floor… Belldandy, the First Class Goddess Unlimited and star of the Goddess Relief Agency picking up Urd's TRASH!?

Outrage was the first thing to really hit Skuld's mind as she saw her sister diligently cleaning up a mess that was not her own, and finally Skuld managed to shout, "Onee-sama! What ARE you doing?"

Belldandy looked to Skuld and smiled serenely as she said as she continued to pick things off of the floor, "Oh, just tidying up a little before Urd and Keiichi come to breakfast."

"But… BUT its Urd's mess let her clean it up!" Skuld quickly spluttered out.

"Oh, it's really nothing Skuld, I'm sure Urd had good reason to leave a little mess, see it's almost all gone now …" Belldandy said kindly as she then started to take things off the top of the television then wiped it off with a damp cloth to get those sticky beer rings.

"Good reason?! Little mess?!... But you shouldn't have to do this at all!..." Skuld screeched, then said venomously, "…I mean… I mean… I can't believe that _**Halfling**_ could be so… so… agh!"

A gasp is the only sound in the room after Skuld's outburst, she then looked to Belldandy, the source of the gasp, to see her knocked to the floor on her shapely bottom with wide eyes and a hand partially covering her opened mouth… what was worse was the effect that look on Belldandy's face had on Skuld, as it was the same kind of look Belldandy might give someone that said they kicked puppies for the fun of it.

Too late Skuld realized exactly _what_ she said was one of the No-no words, and with wide eyes she clasped both her hands over her mouth.

"Skuld…" Belldandy began breathlessly, "… why… why did you say that?"

Skuld fidgeted for a moment under Belldandy's surprised and disappointed gaze then said nervously, "Onii-sama… I didn't mean… but… but you shouldn't have to do these things… but Urd just expects… and… and… does…"

Belldandy sighed as Skuld trailed off incoherently, then said, "Skuld… Skuld look at me…" she paused until she had Skuld's attention, "… I know that you think Urd is just… well… thoughtlessly rude sometimes, but I've known her far longer and better then you have…" she paused as Skuld took a seat next to her then said, "… Skuld think for a moment, how would you feel if our mother Freya had to leave you forever and you were told you couldn't ever see her again?"

Skuld looked absolutely stricken at the though then cried out, "That's awful! I don't know… but how could you even say something like that Onii-sama?!"

A look of sorrow flashed across Belldand's face for a moment, and then she said in a strained voice, "Because Skuld… this was just after you were born so you wouldn't know… that happened to Urd the day before I met our half-sister for the first time. And even though Urd seems so bold and brash… I think she's still hurting on the inside, never feeling like she belonged as a great many gods resented her being in Asgard… more-so now after The Lord of Terror…" she paused with a sigh, "… and yesterday with her mother coming here didn't help any… So I know and I… we that is… let her do as pleases her…" she trailed off not needing to say more as Skuld look guiltily at the table top.

Just as a sinking feeling of guilt was beginning to settle into Skuld's belly, the sliding door to the room was suddenly slammed opened with a loud bang and there stood Keiichi with Urd behind him he then shouted angrily, "SKULD! Get Up and Apologize to Urd NOW!"

"W-what?" Skuld croaked out in absolute surprise.

"Something about a certain 'Halfling' I believe was said… Skuld now what might that something of been?" Keiichi asked heatedly.

"H-how much did you hear?" Skuld said looking down ashamed

Before Keiichi could say anything Urd stepped forward into the room and said blandly, "He didn't hear anything squirt… I heard it all though…" as a look of shame began to grown on Skuld's face Urd continued bitterly, "… of course my _Halfling_ hearing may not be as _good_ and pure as _yours_… so I might of misheard you… did I Skuld?"

Skuld was looking intently at the floor not meeting Urd's gaze as she mumbled something.

"What was that Skuld? I didn't hear that." Urd said not too kindly.

Finally Skuld looked up showing her face with quivering lip and teary eyed and then stammered, "Urd… Onii-sama I mean… I'm… I'm… sorry… so sorry…" Skuld trailed off as tears started to roll down her cheeks.

Only a moment later, Urd bent down in front of Skuld and grasped the younger girl by the shoulders and said with a warming voice, "Hey kiddo… don't cry… it's okay…"

"You're not mad?" Skuld said timidly.

"Of course I'm mad… but never at you Skuld… I'm mad at people that say things like that, BUT really mean and believe it, But you know why I'm not mad at you?..." Urd paused as Skuld shook her head, "…it's because I know you don't mean things like that, it's just not in you. And I know, I'm your Big Sis' after all. But you gotta' promise me something Skuld…"

"What? Anything Onii-sama." Skuld asked with conviction as she used her sleeve to dry her cheek.

"You gotta' promise me you'll never ever say that again. Promise?"

"I promise, never again!" Skuld said almost in her usual happy tone with barely a trace of a hic from her slight earlier crying.

"Uh-uh-uh… you gotta' made it count kiddo…" with that Urd hooked-out her pinky finger, "… pinky promise or it doesn't count."

Skuld quickly caught on and with a slight smile hooked her own pinky finger with Urd's and said, "I pinky promise!"

Now smiling Urd messed Skuld's raven locks of hair and said kindly, "Squirt, you look like a mess… how 'bout you go get cleaned up then we'll have breakfast okay?"

"Okay Okay already!" Skuld said as she tried to fix her now wildly messed hair as she ran from the room.

A strange smile was on Urd's face as she watched her littlest sister run down the hall, then she turned to look at Belldandy who was smiling at her, Urd then asked confusedly, "…What?"

Belldandy smiled sweetly and said, "Urd, I'm proud of you."

"Feh… that was nothing she didn't mean it, and I've heard worse… but I tell you now, when I find the gods she heard that kind of thing from I'm gonna'…" Urd trailed off as she illustrated her point by punching one hand into the palm of the other several times and smiling cruelly.

Belldandy almost giggled and said, "I'm sure they'll see your point Urd…"

It was at this point that Keiichi who had been standing back watching spoke up looking lost, "Wait a sec here… I'm confused… what just happened anyway? I mean Skuld called Urd a name… and Urd you were all non-chalant at first but then got mad about it… then Skuld was crying… and you, Urd, forgave her? I… I just don't get it."

Urd chuckled slightly and said, "Silly Keiichi you don't need to understand, it's just that…" Urd paused; then Urd and Belldandy spoke in an eerie unison, "…We're sisters!"

It was at this point that Skuld came rushing back into the room to see Keiichi do a massive face-vault into the floor… a sight that had all three sisterly goddess' giggle lightly at the odd sight.

With his face still firmly planted in the floor, Keiichi mumbled out with muffled speech, "So when's breakfast again?" which only caused a new 'bout of giggles from the sisters.

Just as Belldandy, with a lightened mood, stood to finish bringing out breakfast, Banpei with his wood staff in hand ran past the still open door, beeping madly on his mad-dash down the hall.

"Oh my, Banpei's in quite a hurry, do you suppose Mara is here Urd?" Belldandy asked naively with her hand cupping her cheek.

Urd snorted unladylike and said, "Well… it's awfully early for her to be out doing something stupid…" Urd paused as she stood "… better go see what it is this time before the tin-can gets to her though." Urd ignored Skuld's trailing indignant shouts at calling Banpei a tin-can as she and Belldandy, with Keiichi trailing curiously, walked out to the back deck of the temple house to only see Banpei moving his head side to side scanning the back-yard with his staff raised defensively, and no sign of Mara… or anyone else.

Curious, Belldandy was about to ask Mr. Banpei what the matter was when there was a small purple streak in the distant tree tops, the purple streak then zigged through more tree tops coming closer, the purple streak then zagged through more not-so-distant tree tops its destination now obvious as the temple.

With her gaze firmly tracking the zooming purple streak Belldadny said with a tone of worry, "Urd…"

"I see it Bell…" Urd said back quickly as she took a defensive stance and raised her right hand where a crackling sphere of purple and black energy quickly formed.

Off in the rapidly decreasing distance the purple streak seamed to blur a bit, then it vanished abruptly leaving the three sisters to blink-blink, and just as Skuld had begun to reach into her blouse for a scanner there was suddenly a blurring distortion in the air only a meter in front of them that quickly resolved itself into the shape of a little old bald man in a purple martial artists Gi kneeling in front of them.

Just as Keiichi was about to ask who the heck the guy was, he saw Belldandy cringe and pull her left arm protectively over her bosom, Skuld whipped out her debugging hammer, and Urd quite suddenly had a blazing red aura around her whipping her white hair in an ethereal wind as she screamed, "HAP-PO-SAI!!!" and then readied to throw her Urd-blast.

- - -

* * *

- - -

Lizasa Lenaoko was starting to get frustrated as he searched for the three earth bound goddess'. Finding them wouldn't be so hard if only he could contact Yggdrassil but for some reason he still couldn't get through to anyone in the Spirit Relief Offices, this left him with only being able to feel for them with his spiritual senses, which in truth wasn't terribly difficult as it was more or less like looking for high-powered searchlights in the night sky, the problem though was finding the exact point that the light originated from. So here he'd been doing small-range teleports that was maxing-out the limit on his power, and then tree-hopping and running with pure martial artists' skill trying to zero in on the three nova's of power he could feel in the general area.

'_But where are they!?_' He thought to himself in annoyance as he hopped his way through yet another stand of trees. He then zigged to the left to glance down at some inconspicuous shopping area, not seeing any sign of them there he then zagged to the right through other trees to peer off in the distance at some non-descript post-modern school campus, sighing in building frustration he zigged again through more stands of tree and saw an expansive Temple Courtyard Complex on top the area's predominant hill which caused him to mentally slap himself and think, '_A temple! Lizasa you dummy, you're losing it, of course they'd be at a temple!_'

With renewed hope he powered up for yet another short distance teleportation and fazed out of the tree tops to reappear the next moment right in front of three beautiful women radiating power.

What luck he actually teleported right to their feet!

He was just about to prostrate himself and make introductions as well as his plea before the goddess' when he saw a red aura blaze suddenly around the white haired goddess as she screamed, "HAP-PO-SAI!!!" as she looked ready to throw an ominous energy ball.

It was that instant that he realized that Happosai's reputation must've preceded him, and that appearing before three womanly goddess' in the form of the highly-perverted martial artists master may not have been the wisest move…

Slowly he began to back away, shaking his hands in a defensive manner and said weakly, "Now, now let's not do anything rash, this isn't…"

"Silence!" Urd screamed, "Honolulu, 1972, you took my bikini top… While I was wearing it!" she shrieked, then calmed oddly, "…I'm going to enjoy smiting you!" with that she threw her Urd-blast at the wrinkled pervert who dodged it… barely.

"Wait! Wait! It's not what you think!" He screamed as he landed from the dodge, only to feel an odd chill run up his spine, and looked up to the sand-blond haired goddess' frowning face.

Belldandy frowned looking down at the perverted little gnome and said, "You're not nice!" as she swung her arm, causing a torrent of wind to lift the faux-Happosai into the air and forcefully smash him into a tree.

As Keiichi was gaping at the spectacle and Belldandy for saying that someone –_wasn't_- nice, there was the cry of "Nasty old man, take this! Skuld Bomb!" followed by an explosion that rocked the temple courtyard, but as the dust settled there was no sign of Happosai until there was a cry of "Hotcha!" followed by Happosai saying condescendingly, "Little girls shouldn't play with such dangerous toys!"

As Skuld whirled around behind her she saw the nasty old pervert… holding ALL of her Skuld-bombs! '_How'd he do that?!_' was an absent thought until she saw a flash of bright pink lace in the middle of all of her bombs in the perverts arms.

Too late Lizasa also noticed the bit of pink as Skuld's training brassier in his grasp as well as all of her little dangerous toys as he thought, '_Oh shit… I've been posing as Happosai far too long…_'

Urd standing just a few yards away saw the whole exchange, but when Happosai took Skuld's weapons and inadvertently her bra, Urd began to quake and seethe with anger as she hissed in her mind, '_He actually touched Skuld! How dare he!_' As hate replaced rational thought Urd raised her hand and called out, "World of Elegance! Come forth!" with that said an ethereal beauty of contrasting white and black arose from Urd's back glowing with the true determination of an avenging angel, Urd then called out, "World of Elegance, Heavenly Fire!" as she said it the angle smiled cruelly as she held one arm forward and pulled the other back as a bow and arrow of holy flame sprung forth in her hands, and no sooner had the arrow of fire formed than Urd's angel released it at Happosai.

Belldandy had also seen the exchange, and her frown deepened as she saw the not-nice pervert holding Skuld's little bra, and without calling out the attack with her usual prayer, she flung both arms wide sending a blast of highly pressurized magical wind at Haaposai from the opposite direction of Urd's flame attack.

With the on rushing attack of magical flame from Urd to his front and the magically charged torrent of wind at his back from Belldandy, the faux Happosai cursed to himself as he realized that he could not dodge the two simultaneous attacks, so in a last ditch effort he drew himself together into a ball, and pushed out as much energy as he could into a protective barrier to take the brunt of the heavenly blasts, he also absently whined to himself, '_This is gonna' hurt…_'.

As the dust and debris from the attacks at the intruder Happosai subsided, The three goddess and one human were rather surprised to see the occupant of the small crater not be the perverted little gnome Happosai, but rather a rather tall bishonen man sitting cross-legged with gray hair that was blasted into a wild sooty tangle and dressed in a once very fine grey hakama that now bore many tears, burns and soot, but what truly caught their attention were the blue Asgard marks adorning his face.

With a small mushroom shaped cough of black soot from his mouth Lizasa Lenaoko said, "Are you all quite done?" Seeing all the goddess nodding numbly he muttered, "Good" as he then passed out, falling over backwards.

As they all approached the crater, Keiichi was the first to find his voice as he said, "Who… who is he?"

Urd looking down at the unconscious man kicked him lightly in the abdomen, getting no response from that, she then muttered, "…Haven't a clue…" Urd then noticed a flash of pink in the slightly opened flap of the mans hakama coat, reaching down to pluck it out of the man's coat she pulled out a surprisingly intact pink brassiere and handed it over to a red-faced Skuld saying, "I believe this is yours…" she then paused smirking and said, "… but it's not like you have anything to fill it with anyways, so I don't know why you bother..."

With an even brighter red face than before, Skuld cried out, "Urd no Baka! Take that back!"

To which Urd replied in a mature and dignified fashion by sticking out her tongue and pulling down her eyelid and saying, "Make me squirt!" And so the chase of younger goddess to elder goddess was once again on…

Back at the crater site, Keiichi asked Belldandy, while thumbing down at the unconscious man, "So, what do we do with him?"

Belldandy bit her lip in worry and replied, "I don't know why he did it… But pretending to be that awful, awful man certainly wasn't a nice thing…" with that Belldandy seemed to have an idea and rushed back into the house and moments later returned with a steal bucket of water so cold that condensation was rapidly forming. Keiichi was about to ask what the bucket of water was for when he noticed a slight smirk on Belldandy's lips... as she threw the buckets icy watery contents onto the unconscious man.

The man shot up rapidly with a slight, almost womanly, shriek as the frigid water hit him and then spluttered, "What'dja do that for!?"

With a passively neutral face Belldandy looked down at the man she now realized was an Asgard spirit and with added power to her voice simply said, "Explain."

Lizasa gulped audibly, then bowing low said, "A thousand pardons Oh Great High Holy One, I have made a grievous trespass upon you. My name is Lizasa Lenaoko an assigned spirit working a mortal-wish case in Nerima. And the reason I'm here is because yesterday a boy/girl named Ranma was…"

- - -

* * *

- - -

The Great Demon Leader Hild in all her dark glory stood high on the field of battle of the Kami-plane, sneering cruelly as she cast her gaze through the ranks of Infernal demons and spirits at her command and beyond them to the equally impressive ranks of Celestial warriors and at their center, the being of all-empowered light; Kami-Sama.

As both sides of the battlefield were quickly becoming restless, Hild's first general, a golden-skinned snake demoness approached and bowing on one knee before Hild spoke, "You're greatness, the other Generals have reported that all legions are ready… your command?"

"Tell them to have patience Sith-chan… timing… remember all things come with proper timing." Hild said patronizingly to the kneeling Sith.

"But Hild-sama, Lord Akibu worries about the movements of the Celestials left-flank commanded by Lord Celestine…" Sith said before being cut-off by Hild's red burning gaze freezing her.

With a cold smile Hild said, "I told you to be patient Sith-chan… now watch, you might actually learn something."

Hild then began stepping forward through the ranks of Infernals, demons and beings of darkness alike parting like a sea before their Dark Demon-Goddess, some were even worshiping on bent knee casting dark prayers at her as she regally strode forward, leaving arcs of lightning behind her footfalls.

Once at the front of her forces she once more looked up upon the source of awe-inspiring sweeping light, she then looked beyond the halo of Holy Light to the man underneath, the father to her child, Kami-Sama, and saw the look of sorrow and pity that marred his features. That look just seemed infuriate her!

Hild then closed her eyes and spoke in a calm level voice to Kami-Sama, "You've subjugated us in all creation, you've demeaned me and my people by relegating us to the work you won't let your precious Celestials perform. And now…" she paused as her jaw clenched and her eyes began to glow red behind her eyelids, "…And now you would dare make us lower and subservient to those… those… short-lived apes on the mortal plane!!" then her eyes snapped open revealing twin glowing red pools of hate that caused the Celestials on the fronts lines to step back from.

"…Kami-Sama, for my people this I cannot allow!" and with that a great thunderous cheer arose from the ranks of the gathered Infernals.

Kami-sama from on high then spoke in a gentle calm but resonate voice, "Hild, you needn't take this action. You surely must consider the ramifications of this insurgency that I simply cannot allow… Please at least try to understand that these difficult decisions regarding our existences along with the mortals are critical to the…"

Kami-sama was cut off by a snort from Hild, then speaking through her sneer, "Yeah… yeah, we've heard it before 'critical to the further improving development of the universe'… but toiling away as slaves for the next 10 million years for the mortals beck and call… for gains we'll get little to no part of is unacceptable! So if the status-quo of our two kinds of the eons since the dawn of the universe is no longer 'acceptable for the universe'… then I say the universe be damned!" And with that there was a great cacophony of cheers from all the Infernals and booing jeers from the Celestials.

Kami-sama visibly sagged and as the noise from the crowds died down said in a resigned voice, "You and you're people… there's nothing I can do to dissuade you from this?"

"No… there are something's… such as forgoing this sycophantic meddling with the mortals, and admitting to equality of power between our two kinds…" Hild said back casually calm.

"Hild…" HE paused, "…you know as well as I, that those choices are simple not possible. Be reasonable, surely there's…"

HE was cut off by an angered shout from Hild, "NO! There's noting else!..." pause, "…I must do what's best for my people. And this benevolent plotting of yours will only lead both our kinds to being slaves to the mortals at best… and a crutch to their weaknesses at worst. And for my kind… this is unacceptable."

"There's nothing else to say then… is there?" Kami-sama asked resignedly.

Seeing Hild shake her head negative, He sighed and simply said, "So be it" as then signal flares of magic light were shot up by both armies into the sky of the spirit-plane causing the assembled armies of The Light and The Dark to charge one-another in a brutal killing fracas.

Angels engaged up against Succubae, outnumbered 20 to 1, mercilessly decimating the succubae ranks with as much power and might their goddess' could spare.

First class demons were firing salvo after salvo of dark brimstone and hell-flame from their outstretched hands at the on rushing gods of war.

Goddess' standing in small circles; chanting, acting as conduits of magical force, firing-off great forces of the elements themselves like great siege cannons at the onrushing demonic horde.

Across the plain lay the fallen, Infernal and Celestial alike, with their dying gasps they simply faded off into motes of dissipating colored facets of lights, leaving only their empty clothes and idle weapons on the ground as testament.

Suddenly a shockwave of power ripped through the fighting, causing both sides to falter and stumble slightly and as a collective looked up to the source of the wave to see a feminine being of the vacuous night-sky of darkness and twinkling stars, locked hand to hand with a masculine being of super-nova blinding light, both trading blows of arcing Holy white lightning and whipping tendrils of black tainted nothingness.

The sight of their respective leaders only spurred on the fighting… and the killing.

And the battle raged for time-unknown, neither side advancing.

"Seems we're well matched _Husband Dear_…" the feminine voice of darkness drawled as her will clashed the Makers'.

"Perhaps…" HE grunted noncommittally, but Hild knew Him all too well… was HE smirking?

Suddenly the chanting of several male gods rose in volume to almost drown the noise of battle, then to Hild's surprise Kami-Sama shouted, "NOW Celestine!" as He disappeared from their struggle leaving Hild to stumble at the loss.

Only to then look up in the direction of Celestine as the circlet of seven brightly glowing gods ceased their chant and cast out the spell.

A ghostlike wall of silvery light interspersed with glowing bands of golden and blue holy script arose from the mists of the spirit-plane, and like a tsunami pushed out, but while it passed harmlessly over the Celestials who viewed it with awe, the Infernals were being mercilessly thrown back screaming in mutilated pain by the force landing in crippled heaps; Hild herself barely had time to ready against the force as it descended upon her. For an interminable moment the walls destructive power was stalled as it pressed against Hild's lashing aura of darkness.

With sweat forming on her brow, Hild was pouring as much of her power as possible into stopping the advance of the wall from further harming her people.

Just as it seemed that the edges of the silvery construct were beginning to fizzle-out from Hild's resistance, Kami-Sama reappeared behind the wall opposite to Hild, she glared at him as he simply shook his head in disappointment, and then placed his hands on the wall, opposite to her own. Immediately it strengthened and was re-empowered, and Hild screamed an unholy universe-piercing shriek as she was over-powered and was thrown violently back through the air as the wall of force redoubled its path of destruction over the ranks of the Infernals.

Moments… Eons later… it stopped with a jarring silence, and only Celestials and Kami-Sama were left standing.

Slowly HE approached Hild as she struggled to find the energy to glare at him, finally with a grave look he opened his mouth to speak…

"Abso-Fucking-lutely No Way!" a feminine voice rang out…

---

* * *

---

With a starting gasping breath of air, Hild's eyes shot open to see a red-headed woman, with hands on her hips scowling at down her. She blinked again to see that she was indeed sitting in her private chambers in Helheim Palace of Niffleheim…

Now broken out of her past unpleasant reverie, Hild shook her head to collect her bearings and dispel the memories best left forgotten and said with her near omnipresent mirthful smirk, "What was that you said Ranma-chan?"

"I said 'Abso-Fucking-lutely no way am I wearin' this… this… dress!' Gah!" Ranma said hotly as she pulled at the hem of the slit of the cheongsam for emphasis.

For a moment Hild appraised Ranma, "Why… it seems to be a very nice dress. Just not your style I take it?"

"No, no, No! Listen, not to sound ungrateful or nothin', 'cause I really do 'preciate you getting' me out from that guy…" she slowed to a pause and squinted her eyes tightly shut for a moment, "… and then the whole brinin' me back.. even if I gotta' be a demon… BUT! There ain't no fucking way in Hell that I'm gonna' sit here and wear this dress you've stuck me in! An' that's that!" Ranma stamped her foot to exclaim this.

After Ranma's mini-tantrum Hild just stared at her… Then to Ranma's surprise began to giggle lightly, then Hild leaned forward and pinched Ranma's right cheek and squealed girlishly, "You're so CUTE!" she continued "Why… come to think of it… I don't think anyone's ever been so candid right to my face! Marvelous, Ranma-chan!"

With Ranma rubbing her much-abused cheek, Hild continued, "But to answer your… heh… demand. It's simply your choice to wear what you want. I didn't dress you in that dress…" she paused to lean up to Ranma's ear and whispered conspiratorially, "…but I looooove the look, quite daring."

Hild then made a grand sweeping gesture with her arms and proclaimed, "This place… this realm… is where thoughts are made manifest, and where reality can be bent by will alone. The truth is dear Ranma-chan, you put yourself in that dress."

"That's a lie! You're lying!" Ranma shouted back, not wanting to hear this.

Hild then 'tsk'ed, then vanished from in front of Ranma!

Only to reappear behind Ranma, Hild's arms drapping over Ranma's shoulders, effectively locking the redhead in place as Hild squashed her bosom into her back.

From behind Ranma Hild spoke, "Really Ranma… the only one lying here is you to yourself… your own subconscious during the descent into demonhood is what dressed you. And really, after all of the dresses… and even playboy-bunny outfits you've worn…" Ranma blushed like a tomato at that, "… can you honestly… to yourself… complain about dressing femininely? Hmm?"

Ranma's shoulders slumped a little as she sighed out, "Well… no… I guess. But…" she was cut off by another 'tsk' from Hild.

"Uh-huh, no 'buts' Ranma-chan…" Hild paused as she began idly to draw little circles with her fingers on Ranma's exposed cleavage, but before Ranma could protest Hild leaned in close and whispered into her right ear, "…seeing you now… it really dose make me wonder though what sort of nasty little thoughts are running through that pretty little masculine mind of yours…" she paused feeling Ranma tense-up, her smirk grew a little wider as she then whispered into Ranma's left ear, "… or should I say pretty little butch-dyke? Hmm?"

Much to Hild's amusement, Ranma practically teleported out of her embrace and with a beat-red face began spluttering denials as she also tried to cover her exposed cleavage with little success.

"Oh Ranma, Ranma, Ranma…. You're too easy…" Hild chuckled at the redheads' expense.

"Jeez, cut me some slack will ya'?..." Ranma said while regaining her composure, "…And when can I get back to Nerima anyways?"

"Oh, are you in a hurry to get back to Nerima?" Hild asked naively.

"Well duh! Yeah I wanna' get back to get my revenge you know!"

"Ah yes… your revenge, tell me Ranma-chan, what did you have in mind?"

Ranma was silent for a moment, as if trying to decide on something, then answered, "… I hadn't really thought that far ahead… I guess I'd beat on them till they stopped movin' I guess…"

Hild raised one delicate white eyebrow and asked incredulously, "That's it?"

"Well, yeah, I guess. Why, you got a better idea?"

Hild

For a moment a smile crept its way across Hild's face as she said smoothly, "Oh, I… might be able to think of… something…"

"Well???" Ranma urged Hild to continue.

Hild clucked her tongue and waged her finger at her saying, "All in good time Ranma, you need to be patient. Think about it, at most your betrayers only have a few decades of life left… then their souls could be yours to do with as you please for eternity. So you have all the time you want to think of… things…"

Ranma looked at the white-haired woman in a sense of shock; then gulping said, "I hadn't really thought about it like that I guess…"

"Yes… you need to learn to think less of the "Now" and more of the "To-Be"…" Hild said cryptically, then continued, "… so think hard, what do you think will hurt them the most. Not just in the now, but in the forever?"

For a minute Ranma just looked confused, then replied haltingly, "I… I don't really know…"

Hild smiled reassuringly and said, "That's alright, there's always plenty of time, with witch I'll help… But right now…" she drifted off looking Ranma over, "… actually, you look a little stressed, do you feel stressed Ranma-chan?"

In response, Ranma's cheek twitched.

"I'll take that as a yes, what do you usually do to burn off stress?" Hild asked, already knowing the answer.

"Uh… well when I'm stressed I like to spar ya' know… But what about gettin' back to Nerima?!"

Smirking, Hild said, "You and Nerima this… and Nerima that… you're sounding like a broken record Ranma-chan…" she then paused to shake her head lightly, "…but if it's that important to you…" she raised her right hand with a two-fingered boy-scout salute, "…I, Hild Promise to Kami-Sama that after you do this one teency-eency-itty-bitty little thing for me I'll take you…" she paused again as a glint of mischief entered her eyes, "… back to Japan. Do we have a Deal?"

For a brief moment Ranma scrutinized the rather eccentric white-haired woman, thinking to herself, '_how bad could it be?_' So with a shrug of her shoulders she said, "I guess so… Deal."

Hild then clapped her hands together and squealed out girlishly, "Excellent!" then looked away from Ranma and off into the darkness of the chamber and slowly breathed out an ethereal whisper of "Oh Maaaa-chaaannn…"

- - -

* * *

- - -

As Mara was descending the stairs into her darkened underground lair… that is the old condemned department store on the outskirts of Nekomi, she was saying in a light tone while patting her stomach contentedly "Ah! I'm stuffed! As expected, even though that Belldandy's cooking skill is that of a first-class goddess. Eating bentou alone is nutritionally unbalanced… still the goddesses are pretty nice. She even told me I can visit whenever I want…"

Then Mara heard the most dreaded words possible to be spoken of, "Welcome back!!" said by one pre-teenage looking girl, with her white hair up in pigtails, dressed in a child's pink minidress and pink tube-top…

"H-H-H-H-Hild-Sama!, what on earth are you…?!" Mara stuttered out in horrified surprise, skidding to a halt before the diminutive mistress of Hell.

"It's unfair that only you get to eat hot pot… that's why I also…" chibi-Hild said with a pout from her kneeling position as she poked Mara's super-intelligent lab-mice with chopsticks as they dangled over a boiling pot… quite alive and struggling against their shoelace bonds.

"My deepest apologies! I won't fail like this again!" Mara pleaded, now kneeling herself before the much smaller demon-Queen.

"I don't really mind. If you feel content, then I'm happy to…" chibi-Hild said with a kind guilting voice.

"By know means do I feel content…!" Mara flubbed-out.

"But you're full aren't you?" chibi-Hild asked in a curious tone.

"Th-that's…" Mara spluttered lamely.

"I'm hungry!" chibi-Hild shrilly complained suddenly, poking the three live dangling mice with her chop-sticks.

"Hild-Sama! Please wait, Hild-Sama!..." Mara protested.

"…I have a secret weapon that is really powerful! Please let me use it!"

"Ah Really?" chibi-Hild asked, her curiosity rising.

"R-Really!!! Look, this is it!..." Mara then reached back, and pulled back with a small decorative teapot, "…This is the ultimate anti-goddess weapon, Soujinki! It'll round up all the goddesses who are the biggest threat to our share of expansion! It's really, really…"

"Try it." chibi-Hild said.

"Eh?" Mara asked intelligently.

"Try it!" chibi-Hild commanded with force.

"Yes Hild-Sama!" Mara said as she fumbled with Soujinki.

Quickly bored of Mara's fumbling, chibi-Hild said, "Hurry Up!" as she used her chopsticks and pushed the spout of Soujinki to Mara's lips, thus activating the weapon and pulling Mara inside the little teapot, like a vacuum.

Moments later came Mara's muffled plea from inside Soujinki. "Please hurry up and let me out!"

"What should I do?" chibi-Hild asked naively, now very amused.

"Pour hot water on it and rub it three times!!!" came Mara's cry from inside the teapot.

Moments later with Mara restored and the three little mice set free, chibi-Hild spoke, "Sorry to tell you, but this thing has a big flaw…"

"Eh? But just now I…" Mara interrupted.

"…who would use his or her mouth to taste it?" chibi-Hild said, with the soujinki dangling from one little finger.

"Just as I thought… I guess it can't be helped. I'll teach you a trick."

"Really Hild-Sama???" Mara exclaimed, a light of hope in her eyes.

"But…" chibi-Hild warned.

"Y-Yes?!" Mara asked with fear.

"…can you go buy me some oden from the convenience store? I want to try it for once, store manager Mara." chibi-Hild asked sweetly.

"Nah…" Mara laughed out nervously.

"Don't laugh." Chibi-Hild said in a no-nonsense voice.

"Okay!" Mara said quickly almost wetting herself at Hild's harsh command.

Mara was then about to stand to run back to the convenience store to get Hild her oden-noodles when suddenly chibi-Hild's eye's loose focus and she looks at Mara askance. It only lasted for a moment, then a broad smile spreads on the diminutive terror's child-like face as she raised her right hand to finger-wave to the seated Mara.

Mistaking chibi-Hild's gesture as a sign to go quickly, Mara waves her hands in defense and says, "I'm going! I'm going!"

But before she could stand to flee chibi-Hild said with an evil undertone, "Yes… yes you are…" and with that Mara was paralyzed as a cold wind swept through the room, and carried in the wind was the soft ethereal wail of, _"Oh, Maaaa-Chhhaaaannnn….."_ as a portal of inky blackness swirled into existence under Mara's feet pulling her down.

The last thing Mara saw on this plane of reality was a smirking chibi-Hild waving her little fingers at the sinking blond demoness, while Mara, with tears streaming down her face, wailed in her head, "_LIFE'S NOT FAIR! Waaaaa!_"

- - -

* * *

- - -

"Do you hear that? Ranma asked Hild, as mere moments ago Hild had let loose with that creepy windy voice thing; she didn't quite know what to expect next.

With an absent "Hmmm", Hild looked to Ranma and asked, "Hear what Ranma-chan?"

"I dunno' really… almost sounds like someone screaming while falling… you don't hear that?"

"Why, should I?" Hild said back easily, still smirking.

Ranma then looked up into the nothingness of the ceiling of Hild's chamber, and sure enough there was a blond haired woman screeching as she fell.

Ranma's jaw just fell open in shock at the sight of looking strait up into a blond woman's equally shocked face. Too late though did Ranma realize that she was looking STRAIT UP at the woman's rapidly falling face… from right below her… right in the landing zone.

So scant mini-seconds later there was the resounding boom of a face-to-face crash; leaving a tangle of blond and red-headed women in a pile on the stone floor.

"owie…" were the twin moans of pain from the pile of femme moments later.

And had anyone else been there, they surely would've sweat-dropped at the sight of the Grand High Demon Goddess, Hild, rolling on the floor, clutching her side and laughing her shapely posterior off…

- - - - - - -

I should also cite that the section of Mara and Chibi-Hild in this story is a direct verbatim retelling of episode 18 of season 2 of Ah! My Goddess.


	7. Chapter 7 Ah! Enter Goddess' Part II

Daimakaicho Ranma!

Chapter 7

Ah! Enter Goddess' part II

- - -

* * *

- - -

Somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, on board the Australian Nuclear Submarine _The Queens Revenge_, yeomen Bates was bored out of his mind during his stint of nightshift duty in the dull thrum of the engine room.

'_Be a part of exciting adventures around the world… yeah right… my ass…_' Bates thought back to the recruitment posters to himself over the dull engine noise, as he yawned and flipped the same page of the 4 month old Archie comic for the millionth time.

"Oh man what I wouldn't give to know the surface time… is it day... is it night… warm or cold?..." Bates muttered to himself as he just flipped pages of the little book, no longer reading it as he had basically memorized it over the last 3 months of the duty tour.

Just as he was about to lean back into the steal folding chair to resume the monotony that passed for life on _The Queens Revenge_, suddenly there was a loud resounding bang throughout the whole of the engine room causing Bates to jump to his feet in surprise.

After calming his racing heart of the surprise, he soon found the cause of the bang; a simple wrench had just fallen from an open tool locker and onto the steel grating of the floor.

Shaking his head in disgust of the disorder the day-guys leave their tools, he began to re-rack some of the tools to relieve some of the tedium, when he suddenly caught motion to his right in the dimly florescent lit room.

"Hey, who's there? Johnny, that you?" Bates called out, no answer came, shrugging it off as part of his imagination running wild with him, Bates just finished cleaning up the tool locker and with nothing else to do, proceeded to return to his old comic. '_Maybe I can use it to cover my eyes and get a nap…_" he thought to himself, hoping none of the CO's would catch him in dereliction of duty.

Just as he returned to his spot though, he noticed that his folding chair had been folded and put along the bulkhead.

"Alright wise ass, come on out, you've had your fun… I know it's you Johnny, no one else on this tin-can is as pathetic a joker as you are…" Bates called out, now sure that Johnny was getting a laugh in on him. No answer came.

Bates then noticed a human-shaped shadow move behind one of the engine struts on the other side of the engine room, and so he went after it saying playfully, "Now I gotcha' you little pricker, wait till I tell the crew chief about this one…" said Bates as he rounded around the engine strut he barely managed to gasp out, "What the fu…!"

The scene then played itself out on the wall like some sick twisted back-lit shadow-puppetry, of the mystery shadow whirling around to Bates' shadow, and in one smooth motion swung with a shadowed arm at Bates' shadow… moments later there was a gurgle sound as a large round object rolled off of the shoulders of Bates' shadow, followed by a dull thud of the round object… his head hitting the steal flooring and causing an arcing red spray that painted the far wall of the room in streaks of a macabre dripping red. Moments later the shadow of Bates' headless body fell to its knees, then down completely in death with a dull meaty thud against the steal grating.

Then from around the concealment of the engine strut, walked a pale sensuous woman with hair as dark as the moonless night and wide red-eyes, dressed in a black and forest green leather mockery of a Victorian School madam's dress. Turning to look over her shoulder at the pile of man-flesh that was once yeoman Bates, she grinned and said with glee, "What a cutie-pie…" as she then raised her upper lip, showing her fangs and then proceeded to roll out her grotesquely long tongue, and in an obscene gesture licked all the crimson away from her left hand… one digit at a time…

- - -

* * *

- - -

Moments earlier on the Bridge of _The Queens Revenge_ the night watch were bored out of their witts themselves between the small sounds of strategic papers being shuffled to the slight pings of the navigational system, just another night on patrol as far as Second Officer Brigerton was concerned as he sipped at his coffee while intently studying "A Tale of Two Cities" from his seat in the very comfortable Captains chair in the middle of the bridge dais.

Suddenly there was a clipboard in front of Second in Command Brigerton's book. Annoyed, he looked up to see the nervous ensign fidgeting and signed the papers without looking at them as he thought in disgust, "_Probably a request to audit how many sheets of TP we use to wipe…_" as he then returned to his book.

He hadn't even gotten more than a paragraph when the Operations Office called out, "Sir! I've picked up something… I dunno' what… but something weird is on my screens!"

Annoyed; Brigerton drolled out, "Care to define 'weird' for us Officer?" Several of the bridge crew sniggered at that.

"I'm not sure Sir… there was a spike of energy… I think… like a power-surge in the aft sections a second ago… but now it's like fading off."

"This had better not be the Chinese up to their dirty tricks again… Very well, in that case keep your eyes open in case it happens again, but next time…" Brigerton said, only to be cut-off by a shout from the Weapons Officer.

"Sir! I've just got a spike of radiation across the boards! Aft starboard sections!"

"Damn! Is it the engine or the warheads?!" Brigerton shouted to the weapons officer.

"Neither Sir! We're reading full containment on all engines and missiles! Wait!..." the weapons officer called out as he paused to study the screen, "…This… this isn't possible…" he mutered after a moment.

"Well? Spit-it out man! What's going on, on this boat?!" Brigerton shouted at the man.

Coming to attention the weapons officer called out, "I'm not certain Sir… but the radiation spikes are Theta-band radiation!"

"So?" said a clueless Brigerton.

"Sir, there's nothing on this ship… or maybe planet that generates Theta radiation! It's only theoretically produced from antimatter, subspace reactions, or blackholes!" The Weapons Officer called back frantically.

"Alright, then I'm taking us to Alert Status… Comm Officer, prepare a ship-to-shore communiqué to Sydney for instruction and to inform them of our status." Brigerton said as the bridge was bathed in red light. "And Dammit! Someone go and wake up the Captain!"

The Comm Officer called out next, "Sir! All communication just went down! All boards, all circuits… just fried!"

Then Navigation called out, "Sir! I'm getting massive pings on passive radar and sonar all around us!" The Navigation Officer then screamed and then ripped off the large earphones he had been wearing that had begun emitting a painful high-pitched screeching.

"Dammit it all to Hell! What the Devil is going on, on this ship!" Brigerton shouted across the chaotic bridge.

"What an interesting choice of words…" drawled a deep bass, deutsch accented voice to Brigertons right.

Slowly Brigerton craned his head to the side and first saw an armband of red and white with a black spider-like symbol best left forgotten in the near-past. He then looked up to see a blond man with a smiling face… but who had deep red eyes and a single red line tattoo down his left cheek. Looking over the man again, Brigerton couldn't help but notice the black naval uniform that was a design common 60 years prior.

With a gulp Brigerton asked, "Who the devil are you, and what are you doing on my ship!"

The man then smirked and said in his deep accent, "How rude of me to not introduce myself, I am Tiberius Mueller, Kapitan of the Kriegsmarine U-boot 27 by spezial appointment by the Weimar Council of Naval Affairs…" he paused to stare intently at Brigerton with his red eyes, and then grinned showing a set of fangs, "… and I'm here to commandeer this vessel."

"Never! Seize this intruder!" Brigerton shouted as he stood to face the man… only to slip in something wet to land on his backside. Quickly, Brigerton noticed that he had slipped in a pool of blood coating the deck plate; he looked around wildly, only to see more blood and small piles of bloody meat that mere moments ago had been the bridge crew.

Brigerton then looked up at the imposing man looking down at him with a mad-smile, screwing up his courage he stuttered out, "I-I w-won't a-allow this! I'll f-fight to the death t-to protect t-this- s-ship!"

At this Mueller's smile went to insane levels and he said with glee, "So be it!" as he blurred into motion, and moments after that Brigerton joined his crew as a pile of dead-meat with a madly grinning Kapitan Mueller standing over him, licking from the blood from around his lips.

Moments later the bridge hatch swung open and through it stepped the woman in the old styled black and forest green dress. She appraised the room with a look of appreciation of fine work, then said in a sweet French accented voice, "Having fun, are we _Mon Capitan_?"

"No more than I'm sure you've had with the crew dear Sarah… too bad the humans machines on this boat detected our arrival… could've had so much more fun…" Kapitan Mueller said back amusedly as he stepped over the piles of meat on the floor to seat himself in the captains chair, then taking a moment to luxuriate in the feeling. He then said, "The enchantments are in place, I trust?"

"Oh yes… Lord Akibu's enchantments have been placed on the warheads and are ready at anytime, _Mon Capitan_…" Sarah breathed out as she herself waltzed over and leaned her head over the top of the Kapitan's head with a contented sigh.

"Excellent… simply excellent! Now all we must do is wait for Lord Akibu's signal… he will be most pleased" Kapitan Tiberius Mueller said as he picked up the book on the armrest, "A Tale of Two Cities", opened it with a smile and flipped to the next page…

- - -

* * *

- - -

In the heart of the chambers of Helheim Palace, seat of the great Daimakaicho, the power to all Damnation and home of the darkness within the underverse, an end all argument was being waged in the gloom.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" shouted Mara.

"Me?! What did you think you're doing?!" Ranma shouted back getting into Mara's face.

Hild was having a ball as she lounged in midair with a smirk plastered across her face at the antics of the squabbling blond and redhead. '_I knew this was a good idea…_' she thought to herself.

"I was falling you dolt! What kind of moron are you to just stand there like that?!" Mara shouted back poking at Ranma's chest.

"Weeeeeelllll Exxxxuuuuseeee ME if I couldn't get out of the way of some falling blond bimbo fast enough!" Ranma said, her tone dripping with sarcasm as she batted away Mara's offending hand.

"Bimbo? BIMBO!? I'll have you know that I, Mara, demon fist class, category one unlimited is NOT a Bimbo you little red-haired tramp!" Mara retorted angrily.

The redhead snorted and said, "Suuuure, riiight, blonds that speak in third person AREN'T bimbos… gotcha' chief. And 'tramp'… seriously, is that the best you can do? Tsk tsk…"

Mara purpled in rage and said, "Why, you… You… ARG! I oughta' grind you into paste!"

"Bring it on Blondie!" Ranma retorted as a flare of red lightening flashed between the blonds and redheads eyes.

"You know, I would... But I don't really fight girly-girls, wouldn't want to rip your pretty little dress and all..." Mara said with an infuriating smirk.

"GIRLY-GIRL?!" Ranma roared "… and I don't wanna' be in this stupid thing either!"

Mara then roared with laughter, saying, "Buwahaha! How pathetic are you to not even be able to change your clothes?!"

"You… you… I… Don't know how! Happy?!" Ranma said with an almost snarl.

"YES! Buwahah! Even an infant infernal can picture how they want to appear! You just picture it in your mind and poof! Buwahah!" Mara roared between guffaws.

Ranma was reluctantly beginning to catch on to what the blond-bitch was saying and closed her eyes to try, she was just beginning to visualize in her minds-eye something she might usually wear when suddenly her train of thought was broken Mara's jibe of, "…But a girly-girl like you might as well wear a fuku like those sailor sluts! Buwahaha!..." and suddenly an image from her memory of the blond Moon Sailor girl she had fought alongside once in a different life, floated up to the surface of Ranma's mind, and she then felt a blanket of energy cover her for a moment.

Mara's laugh then cut through the chambers like a gunshot as she said in mirth, "Oh… oh… let me guess! You're Sailor Goth right?! Oh… oh no… no! I get it! Sailor Xena! Buwahaha!"

Confused, Ranma looked down at herself… then "ACK'D!" at her appearance. She found herself in a skin-tight black patent-leather bodice with silver metal fittings across the chest with two metal skulls predominant over the important bits, along with a skirt made of long shiny strips of steel plates bonded with steel-mesh, and thigh-high lace-up black stiletto boots and some sort of clawed silvery metal glove molded to her hands and forearms. Of course what Ranma couldn't see was massive billowing red-ribbon behind her floating and twisting in an imaginary breeze and her spiked silver tiara, much like the one that adorns Lady Liberty, that accented the red star mark emblazoned on her brow.

Ranma was just about to begin to hyperventilate when the blond hyena redoubled her laughing at Ranma's expense, with the occasional, "Sissy!" or "fighting for love by moonlight!?" leaking through Mara's cackling laughter.

Ranma's gloved-claw fists clenched and unclenched as anger at her tormenter welled up inside her, she then hissed out, "You think this is funny blondie?! I'll show you funny!..." Ranma then blurred into motion and called out as she leapt at Mara, her hands outstretched, "…Happosai founding school of Anything Goes Attack, Panty Pilfer!"

The next thing Mara knew after the attack that she had been expecting didn't come, was that Ranma was behind her… and that she felt a draft down-low as Ranma snickered, "Oh man… a purple vinyl thong?! Jeez lady, don't these things chafe?! Haha!..." then muttered to softly to herself, "…jeez never thought the old freaks techniques could come in useful…"

Mara then whirled around to face goth-fuku'd redheaded bitch just in time to catch Ranma sniff Mara's purple vinyl thong, then clutch her nose and say, "Pee-yew! Oh man, you'd better see a doctor lady 'cause this thing stinks!"

This was enough to drive the already frazzled Mara over the edge as she growled out, "I'm going to spread your entrails across 9 dimensions for this! Nobody embarrasses Marler and lives to tell the tale!" and with that Mara raised her arm above her head and formed a crackling ball of purple and coruscating black light in her hand and lobbed it at the redhead… who deftly avoided the explosive force of the magic and then even taunted her, "Is that the best you can do?! I know pigs that throw blasts better than that!"

"Argggg! You, die now!" Mara screamed as she reared back both hands, several orbs of the ominous purple energy formed, hovering in each open palm, then lobbed the dozen or more purple-hued attacks at Ranma, who "Eeped!" as she ducked, rolled, slid, and jumped through the air of Hild's chambers to avoid the blasts as they came crashing down, breaking floor stones and sending dust into the air around her.

Smirking Ranma said, "Not half bad… but try one of mine on for size! Moko Takabisha!" she shouted thrusting her hands out… but no attack came… no energy ball of destructive ki, no nothing, just Ranma standing there like an idiot.

As Ranma stared stupidly at her hands, as a smile slowly crept its way across Mara's face as she jibed, "I'm still waiting for your '_Fierce lion Bullet shot_' if my Japanese is correct…"

Ranma looked up at the annoying blond, stupefied, her mouth gasping like a fish at the latest surprise, and then Mara jibed again, "What? Can't throw a simple, little blast 'cause you'll break a nail, girly-girl?"

At the jibe Ranma's eyes became slits, her glove-clawed hands clenched into fists and she growled deep in her throat. Mara jibed again, "Oh, what now? Going to scratch my eyes out?! Buwahaha!"

Ranma roared inarticulately as she leapt at Mara, knocking her to the floor on the back with Ranma straddling her, taken by surprise Mara only had milliseconds to turn her head to the side as Ranma's steel-plated fist came down to crunch the stone floor where Mara's head had been.

"Damn you're a fast one…" Mara muttered as she brought her knee up and kicked Ranma off of her, only to see Ranma perform a graceful back flip pirouette in midair and land softly on her feet facing Mara.

Smirking, Mara rolled back on her back and in one smooth motion bucked her hips up and leapt to her feet from the floor to face Ranma and sneered as she said, "You know, I know some great pole-dancing clubs where you'd fit right in…" Ranma then noticed the lump of metal Mara dropped from her hand to land with a clatter to the stone floor as the skirt she was wearing mere moments prior. She then looked down to see her newest fashion faux-pas of the now revealed indecently thigh-high cut of the shiny black bottom of her body-suit and growled back at Mara.

"Why you…" Ranma grit-out through clenched teeth, she then charged at Mara in a sprint, but Mara crouched-low with a spinning leg kick and swept Ranma's feet out from under her, knocking her to the floor. But before Mara could mock the redhead even more, Ranma kicked her legs out, entangled Mara's own and brought the blond-demoness down atop her.

Looking down at Ranma's angered face, feeling Ranma's hot breath on her checks from only inches of separation, Mara smiled coyly and said, "Why… had I known you liked me you could've just said so…"

Ranma just smiled back and said, "Sorry, I don't go for dumb blonds!" as she then reached up, grabbed the top-line of Mara's leather bodice and pulled hard, ripping the garment from Mara and leaving her bare chest to hang free.

"You… you… BITCH! You have any idea how much that cost?!" Mara screamed into Ranma's face.

"Nope and don't care either!" Ranma said back as she rolled the both of them over so now she was on top of Mara.

Off to the sidelines of the vast chamber's, Hild was smirking like she'd never smirked before as she looked upon the scene and thought, '_Something's missing… what could it be…_' she thought for a moment tapping her chin, then mentally exclaimed, '…_I've got it!_' then snapped her fingers.

Without any warning, a ten meter square of the solid stone floor began to warp, heave and twist under the blond and redhead. They barely even had time to mutter a combined, "What the fuck…" before the floor under them gave way to become a sloshing and frothing pool of rich and thick brown mud, that they promptly fell into.

"Now, look what you did?!" Mara shouted as she flung a handful of mud up into Ranma's face.

"ME?! This is YOUR fault!" Ranma proclaimed as she, from her position above the blond, rocked Mara onto her belly in the mud, then grabbed a lock of the blond's hair and pulled back hard.

"OW! OW! Not The Hair!" Mara screeched as she pounded her fists into mud.

"Fine!" Ranma chirped happily, letting go of the blonde's hair and letting gravity pull Mara's face into the mud with an oozy splat.

Mara then sat-up as best she could with the weight of Ranma on her back, her bare chest heaving and spit out a mouth-full of mud and said, "Why you little dirty…" as she bent her legs back and grabbed Ranma by the waist with them, and then pulled, taking Ranma down belly first into the mud-pit with a splash.

Quickly Mara pounced atop the mud-caked Ranma and said, "Now whose the top-dog, bitch?!" as she then grabbed the back-straps to Ranma's body-suit and pulled the stretchy material until it snapped off like a rubberband.

Ranma was in a locked position, unable to get a hold thanks to the viscous mud, and unable to get out from under the crazy-blond, and dammit having that thing snap off of her body hurt! When inspiration struck, she managed to reach her arms back just enough to begin to fly along the exposed sides of Mara's chest.

Atop Ranma, Mara tried to bat away the magic-fingers, but to no avail. Soon her mouth began to quirk, then she let out a giggling gasp, then the fingers increased their tempo along her bare exposed sides and she couldn't take anymore as she began to let out crazy laugher. Yes, Mara was ticklish.

This proved to be enough to Ranma, who used Mara's laughing weakness to flip the blond to her back in the mud, straddle her and redouble her infamous tickle-attack on the blond woman's sides.

"Do you give up?" Ranma asked sweetly.

"Buwahahaha! No! Never! Buwahahaha!" Mara gasped out in her laugher.

"Oh that's too bad…" Ranma said in a guiltless voice as she began to spread her attack out on the laughing defenseless blond.

Mere moments of this ticked by when Mara made a gasping noise almost like talking.

"What was that? I could hear you…" Ranma said into Mara's ear.

Wheazing and with tears leaking from her eyes, Mara said through her laugher, "I give! Buwahaha! I give up! Buwahaha! Please! Buwahahaha!"

"Oh, I'm not so sure…" Ranma drawled as she kept up the "attack".

"NO! Buwahaha! Please! Buwahaha! I promise! Buwahaha!" Mara pleaded in her hysteria.

"I think she's had quite enough, Daughter; she's made her promise." Hild addressed Ranma as she approached the two mostly naked women whose modesty was only being preserved by the copious layering of mud.

"Awe… it was just getting fun too…" Ranma lamented as she stopped the tickling torment of the blond.

Sitting up in the mud, still breathing heavily from the laughing inflicted upon her, Mara caught-hold of the most horrifying news she's ever heard… Hild… calling the red-haired bitch she was doing her best to kill… '_Daughter_'.

Mara then gulped as a horrible sinking feeling settled into her belly, then began to hyperventilate, she then pointed to Ranma then to Hild saying, "Her?... You? You... her? Daughter?!"

Ranma's mud-caked face grinned as she said, "Yeah… I guess so…"

Mara's hyperventilation reached new heights as she turned around to look at Hild, smiling down at her. She then went into full self-preservation mode and said, "Oh Hild-sama! I'm sorry! I had no idea she was your daughter! I mean… you're so slim and trim! Not even a trace of paunch left! Who's the father? I mean… I'm sorry… I really didn't mean to presume…" and so Mara babbled.

After a moment, Hild's face twitched and she said plainly, "Mara, shut-up." And so Mara was silenced, "… and Ranma is…" she cast a glance at the mud covered gir,l "… adopted, of sorts."

Bending down with her hands on her knees Hild asked Ranma kindly, "And how are you feeling now Ran… err… daughter?"

"You know… it's sorta' weird I guess… but I feel pretty good" Ranma answered.

"Good, I'm glad. Do you think you're ready to go to Japan again?" Hild asked with a smiile.

"Oh man, I thought you'd never ask!" Ranma answered happily as a hard glint of anticipation formed in her eyes.

"Well then… in that case we can't very well travel with you two looking like that…" Hild said as she gestured down at the two mud-caked women, "… let's see what I can do about that…" and with that Hild snapped her fingers and an echoing bang crashed thought the chamber, rattling the sparse furnishings. The first thing to happen was the mud pit immediately became a stone floor once more, and then suddenly a downpour of steaming water cascaded down over Mara and Ranma obscuring then from view completely for a moment.

The next thing Mara and Ranma knew was the water clearing away as though it had never existed… and that they were oddly dry. Looking themselves over they saw why as they had been cleaned and coifed and re-outfitted. Mara's blond-locks draping down over her favorite outfit of a black cape a purple and gold hemmed leather bodice and baggy maroon parachute pants. Ranma found herself once more with her vibrant red hair in a ponytail, and to her elation she was in pants! Tight black pants, more like spandex, and a mid sleeved chinese high-collared tunic in shimmering red silk that almost became violet as it moved… with the same six-pointed star cut-out across the décolletage. But it wasn't a dress! And most of all, it wasn't overly girly! Ranma just barely noticed the simple gold band covered in smaller gold dangles around her neck like a choker and the matching bracelet on her right hand, and then dismissed it.

Smiling Hild bent down, hands on knees again and asked, "Do you like it daughter? You didn't seem too pleased with your last outfit so I…" she then motioned with her hand at Ranma's new threads.

"Are you kidding?! It's like a thousand times better than that horrible skimpy dress thing! Thanks! um…" Ranma then stood and gave a quick reluctant half-hug to Hild and said again nervously, "… um thanks… um… Hild-mama…"

A feeling Hild wasn't certain of began to fill her chest and her eyes moistened as she stared at Ranma. At a loss for further words, Hild just smiled and nodded at girl she'd only known for a day.

Standing up, Mara reached back behind her, and there was the sound of a rubber-band snapping as she adjusted her vinyl thong, she then said to Hild, "Sorry to break the Hallmark moment Hild-sama… but that was HIGHLY unnerving…"

Hild just smiled a big toothy grin in response at Mara.

"Now are you two going to behave?" Hild asked the Mara and Ranma standing before her.

"Yes Hild-sama." and "Yes Hild-mama." The two replied in polite unison, and then turned to glare at each other.

Smirking Hild said, "Are you sure? I'm not going to have to separate you two now am I?"

"No Hild-sama." and "No, Hild-mama." The two replied in unison, heads down feeling like they were being scolded.

"Good, now shall we go? There's still a whole day ahead of us…" Hild said as a doorway shape of blackness arose from the floor.

"There's just one thing Hild-mama…" Ranma asked quietly but quickly.

Hild had a look of curiosity cross her face as she urged Ranma to continue, "Yes, what is it daughter?"

"Well… I was just thinkin', 'bout earlier… well, why didn't my Moko Takabisha work?" Ranma asked seriously.

"Oh that?" Hild asked with a quirked eyebrow, then continued, "… that's simple. You have no Ki. Hence, no Moko Takabisha."

"No Ki! But… but how'm I supposed ta fight?!" Ranma asked with some panic.

Hild closed her eyes and said in a soothing voice, "Yes your Ki is gone, replaced by Pishogue, don't worry you have time to learn, much as you learned to manipulate Ki into attacks, with time we'll teach you to use pishogue." Hild's eyes then snapped open and addressed Ranma with a smile, "Does this help?"

Ranma wavered for a moment then said reluctantly, "I guess so… startin' over kinda' sucks though."

"I'm sure it does… Now are we all ready?" Hild asked gesturing with her hand to the still open doorway of ethereal nothingness.

Catching on, Ranma strode to face the doorway, with Mara already waiting there to crossover.

Just before Ranma and Mara crossed the threshold of the rip in space and time, Mara leaned over and whispered, "Just for the record, I hate you."

Ranma then leaned over and whispered back, "Good, 'cause I hate you too." As they both stepped through the blackness together.

Hild then followed through the doorway of her darkness with a bark of laughter to ring-out across her chambers as she stepped through, the doorway collapsing away after her passage, once more leaving the massive chambers of darkness and gloom empty.

- - -

* * *

- - -

As soon as the helicopter had landed in the expansive courtyard of the Grand Imperial Palace, a small black piglet leapt out of the window of the flying machine and literally began kissing the ground with loud and happy squealing pig-oinks.

Just as the rotors of the helicopter came to a stop at its doors slid open, the passengers inside were greeted by three bowing geisha women dressed in elaborate robes with perfectly painted porcelain-white faces, tiny red lips and black hair appointed in buns high on their heads.

The three lovely geisha then looked up into the cabin of the machine and said in an eerie unison of polite quiet voices, "The receiving rooms have been prepared for your arrival. If you'd be so kind as to follow us please, we will guide you the way..." The three then turned and delicately walked back into the palace through the opened shoji screen doors.

"Well folks this is our stop best follow the Ladies now…" agent Kasewagi said as he stepped off the helicopter and then assisted Nodoka off as well, the rest following suit.

Soon after that the entire gang of passengers had disembarked from the Imperial helicopter; and were already beginning to follow the geisha into and through the palace halls. That is until Akane crossed the threshold of the doors and muttered, "…damn." And rushed back out to the courtyard and picked up the little black pig still kissing the ground by the scruff of its neck and admonished, "Jeez Ryoga, could you be any more embarrassing?" as she then jogged to catch up with the pig-Ryoga cradled in the crook of her arm.

After several minutes of roaming in the Imperial halls, the three geisha ushered the Nerima crew into a large room; elaborate, and in the truest sense of traditional Japanese minimalist decoration. The gray light filtering in from the cloudy skies did nothing to detract from its beauty and presence.

The three geisha, then kneeled to the assembled persons and said again in their unison voice, "The Emperor will see you shortly, please enjoy the refreshments provided during your wait." And with that, they walked backwards, closing the shoji screen door as they went.

After several uncertain minutes passed it to Imperial agents in the detective began to quietly help themselves to the table full of beautifully elaborate foods set in the room.

"How can you eat a time like this?" Dr. Tofu asked of agent Fujito.

She then looked up to the doctor, and said with a fishcake in her lips, "…quite easily actually, it's not us the Emperor wishes to speak with after all…" with that the room fell silent save for the sounds of nervous gulping at the obvious implications.

"I don't like this… not one bit…" Nabiki said aloud to the room.

"What'dya' mean Nabs?" Ukyo drawled out boredly as she flopped herself onto a floor cushion.

"What I mean Ukyo is that it all seems so fast, so very deliberate... it kind of makes me feel like we're being setup…"

"A very astute observation, Ms. Tendo." came a mans voice as the paper doors slid open to reveal the speaker as a tall well groomed 70ish looking man in simple blue denim slacks and an old '_Go Go!_ _Tokyo U!_' varsity sweat-shirt followed by a similarly aged graceful woman in a plain green housedress holding a mug of steaming coffee.

"And just who might you be?" asked an immediately suspicious Nabiki of the plain looking man.

The man made to open his mouth, but was interrupted by a chorus of, "Emperor Akihito!" from Soun performing a hasty standing solute, and Nodoka who bowed with her face to the floor in prostrate.

With a gulp Nabiki said nervously, "I'm… I'm sorry Emperor... ah… san, I guess I was expecting trumpets and those big fancy robes like are shown on TV…"

The man, now identified as the Emperor, chuckled slightly muttering in mirth, "Heh, heh… '_Emperor-San_' she says…" he then looked at Nabiki with a grandfatherly smile and said, "…No, at this time of day we try to keep those types of superficial formalities to a minimum so we can lead somewhat normal lives. Sorry to disappoint."

At this point Kasumi spoke; "If you're Emperor Akihito-Sama… then you would be…" she trailed off gesturing her hand at the woman at his side.

Said woman, just "Hmm'd" absently from taking a sip of her hot drink, then said apologetically, "Oh yes dear, pardon my manners, I'm Michiko, Akihito's wife."

"Empress-sama..." Kasumi breathed out in awe as she curtseyed to the woman, eliciting a smile from the Mother of Japan.

"Now enough of these formalities, we have much to discuss yet…" Akihito said with command, then address agent Kasewagi, "… Agent, where are the Chinese persons? I wished to speak with them as well."

Kasewagi, ever the professional said, "Your Majesty, it would appear they fled the local officials custody before our arrival at the Tendo Dojo, the guards stationed to them are currently suffering from a drug-induced loss of short term memory as well."

Akihito "Hmm'd" in concentration as he took a seat at the prominent position of the table, he then said, "Oh dear, that will be a problem, since I wished them to also witness tomorrows main Event…" he then clapped his hands softly and a ninja dressed entirely in black seemed to fade into existence in a head-bowed kneel behind the Emperor, he addressed the man simply, "The Chinese Amazons, I wish for them to be found and brought back."

With that said the ninja made a slight grunt of acceptance and faded off again.

Akihito was about to speak to the assembled Neriman's again, but frowned looking at Nodoka, then said tersely, "Mrs. Saotome, sit up like a dignified person, I dislike the thought of speaking to the back of your head."

Quickly Nodoka straitened herself, and all were gathered around the table where the High-Great One Akihito and his wife Michiko sat.

Akihito then turned slightly to address Nabiki and said, "To answer Nabiki's growing suspicions first. Yes, you are all being set up… by me."

He then closed his eyes as if weary and spoke, "But first some history as to why I've intervened at all. You see, some time ago, slightly under a year, my son and daughter-in-law were returning from holiday in the Caribbean islands when their Limousine came under attack from a rather powerful Youma that seemed to control an element of fire. It was at this time that Ranma came forward unknowing that it was my boy in that limo and put his life in jeopardy to fight the Youma, and when the Sailors arrived he still fought the beast alongside them to the beasts defeat. And for this, I believe he saved the lives of my son and his wife as well as all the innocents in the vicinity at the time. And for this I feel a strong debt of honor to Ranma."

He then held up his hand for forestall Akane who looked like she was about to speak and said, "I'm not finished. There'll be time for questions later." He then regained his composure and continued, "This is why I felt it necessary to… to… no, I should say, this is why I felt honored at the prospect of giving this young-man the honor he so richly deserved… doubly so after I learned HOW he died." He sent at glare around the room.

"Now you see also, even though my position is inherited, and will one day pass to my son and his wife, politics is as important to me as any underhanded power-hungry politician. That being so, I've planned to commence a Full State Honors funerary service tomorrow at Sunset this you've already been told. But what hasn't been told is that at that time, with the cameras running broadcasting the Death of a National Heroine to the entire nation, indeed even the world, my aides will interrupt the service, 'Inform' me of several highly damming facts, and I will decree them to the audience, the list includes murder and abuse, after that my plan is to declare both Saotome and Tendo clans along with Ryoga Hibiki and Ukyo Kuonji completely and totally honorless and enemies to the Crown and the people of Japan."

There were several gasps of shock in the room as faces grew pale and slack at the news.

Akihito smiled at the reaction and said, "Now also at this time the Imperial Prosecutors will come forward to begin legal proceedings of capital murder, very publicly. And while my position is largely ceremonial, the bureaucrats still listen when I make suggestions. All in all, I think that between the show of National Pride and my strong leadership in the pursuit of Justice, I'll get a 40 point jump in the public opinion polls."

"Oh, and before I forget it. Ms. Kasumi, this is for your consideration." Akihito slid a small sheaf of papers topped with a pen towards her.

"W-what is it?" Kasumi said in a small numb voice.

Michiko smiled and spoke for Akihito, "Well dear, we're not heartless, and we could find no wrong-doing on your part strong enough to be tied up with what's about to happen, so when we heard of your request to bring Dr. Tofu Ono along, we had those marriage papers drafted so you could marry to the good Doctor Tofu Ono with the Imperial Blessings. Just sign and you'll be sparred much if not all the coming tumult."

"I… I… I…" Kasumi stuttered in shock, Tofu came up from behind her and gave her a reassuring rub to the small of her back, trying to be supportive.

"Kasumi! You can't seriously consider that can you?! We're family!" Soun shouted in surprise.

Tears began to leak from Kasumi's eyes as she slurred out, "I'm… I'm sorry father… but yes, yes I can…" and with that said she grasped the pen in a shaking hand, and signed her name and whirled around in Tofu's arms and began bawling into his chest with both sadness and happiness.

Michiko smiled slightly, reached over to grasp the papers, and looked them over and said "Congratulations are in order Mrs. Ono."

"Kasumi… how could you?" Akane said, sounding betrayed.

Without looking to her youngest sister Kasumi said though muffled sobs, "No sister, how could you! You did all those awful things, manipulating Ranma, beating him/her, twisting her into your sick lesbianism… something he only did because you asked… because I think he really loved you… He KILLED for you… I don't even know you…"

"But… but it was just games… like all the other craziness before…" Akane said quietly as Soun bowed his head in shame with Akihito and Michiko looking on sadly.

Sitting next to an ashen faced Nodoka who was shaking slightly, Genma hugged her and said through clenched teeth, "I may have done some wretchedly bad things in my life… but this was an accident! And… and if you think you'll get away with this…" he let the threat hang.

Akihito quirked an eyebrow and asked dubiously, "An accident you say?" he seemed to consider this for a moments then said, "If that's what you wish to claim, who am I to dispute it… BUT! The coroners report… tsk, tsk… everything there would say the whole tragedy was anything but an accident." He took a sip of tea to refresh his voice and continued, "And even if you did manage to get through the plans that are already underway… nobody in this nation… or several others will believe you in the face of the facts."

To illustrate his point Akihito pressed a remote control, and a moderately large TV slid up from concealment under the floor and came on. On it was a lively debate on DeutscheWelle News, the sound muted, of a blond anchorwoman speaking with a Japanese man as pictures of all the gathered Neriman's, save for Kasumi and Tofu, flicked by in the upper corner of the screen as words like "Murdererous liars" and "Traitors" scrolled by in the translated closed caption bar.

"As you can see… the entire world already knows; there's no stopping it now… most we can do is roll with it, and use it to our best advantage" Akihito said

A muttered "Wow, I'm on TV…" from a lackluster Ukyo, the first sign of life from the girl as a picture of her in a flying leap her weapon coming down in a flashing arc, flashed in the corner of the TV screen.

Nabiki on the other hand starred on in growing horror, as she realized that the image was one she personally took and hadn't even had it developed yet from her camera, '_they've gotten into my secret stash of pics…_' was an absent thought laced with dread at what sorts of nasty pictures the authorities were bound to find...

"Now, if you'll all excuse us, Michiko and I still have MUCH to do. Mrs. Tufu, Mr. Tufu, you'll both find you have a private room in the east wing for the rest of the day. The geisha will be by shortly to show you the way. If there are no other questions…" Akihito paused to awaiting the inevitable questions, none came, "… alrighy then. We'll see you tomorrow then." And with that Akihito and Michiko left the silent room.

Moments after the doors slid closed; Nabiki and Soun put their faces into their hands, feeling the weight of the world on their shoulders. Akane still holding P-chan/Ryoga just had her head cocked to the side, watching the TV, as if not comprehending, and Ukyo just looked as if she no longer cared at all ashe she flopped backwards and folded her arms under her head. While Kasumi and Tofu shared an embrace, mimicking the Saotome's on the other side of the table, though the two couples had drastically different reasons for their comfort-seeking.

- - -

* * *

- - -

The three Goddess sisters sat around the dining table of their temple home and just stared at the grey-haired spirit Lizasa Lenaoko.

Urd, drummed her fingers on the hardwood, leaned forward and said incredulously, "You mean to tell us, that ol' Futsunushi granted that perv Happosai's dying request… and if that weren't all, you decide the best was to fulfill it was to BECOME Happosai and pick-up where he left off?"

Lizasa shifted uncomfortably in his seat, coughed into his hand, then replied sheepishly, "Yeah… that is, Yes… more or less the jist of it…"

Urd rubbed the temples of her head and muttered, "Of all the stupid, harebrained, absolutely moronic things to do…" Urd then looked up and asked, "And to top it all off, you can't contact the Spirit Relief Office, so you want us to call them for you to check in on your marching orders?"

Lizasa just twiddled his thumbs and said meekly, "Yes, if you'd be so kind, oh great High One to…"

He was cut off by Skuld saying curtly, "Cut the flattery and groveling, it's embarrassing for a high ranking spirit!" she continued it a overly irate tone, "You probably did something to really, really irritate one of the higher-ups, which is why you can't call them anyways."

"What do you think Bell'?" Urd asked her unusually serious looking sister.

Belldandy took a sip of her Darjeeling tea, then another, then took a glance at Lizasa and said with only a touch of her usual cheer, "I do suppose we could try to assist him. He is just seeking guidance after all."

"Well I still say we toss him off to Fenrir as a nice snack." Skuld said with none too-little venom as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"But, I said I was sorry…" Lizasa tried to defend himself but was stopped by the cold stares from Urd, Belldandy and most of all Skuld, so he just hung his head.

Finally Urd said, "Fine, I guess I can make a call if it'll get him out of our hair faster, might even get some juicy dirt too…" she was just about to get up and go to the hall phone when the lights flickered, once, twice, then went out.

"Great, just great… the power is out again… probably took the phones with it." Urd grumbled to herself.

Just then the sound of winds beginning to howl came through the doors, and the bright sunny day rapidly turned severe as dark ominous thundering clouds began to swirl and gather over the area.

"Oh my, Urd! What's going on?" Belldandy shouted over the din of the winds whipping against the temple.

"We're about to have company again, Bell'." Urd said tonelessly as she looked out to the front yard.

Without warning a massive column of spiraling wind descended into the courtyard along with many arcing bolts of purple lightning causing a deafening roar to sweep through as it kicked up debris and dust.

Then the winds began to fade out to just a slight breeze, letting the residents and spirit-guest of the temple see who it was that had ridden the storm. First there was Hild, standing with dedicated poise in the middle, her arm still held high drawing back in the power of the elements.

To Hild's right there was Mara scowling at the third person standing to Hild's left, a tall leggy Red-head that looked more than a little queasy as she wobbled from the transport.

"Urd-Chan! Long time no see!" Hild squealed as she ran to hug her baby girl.

Visibly unaffected by the hug from her mother at all, Urd said blandly, "You were here just day before yesterday."

"You see! That was far too long!" Hild chastised.

"What I mean to say is; Why are you here?" Urd asked bluntly.

"I can't just come to see my beautiful baby Urd-chan? I have to have a reason? Oh Kami-sama where did we go wrong?!" Hild wailed over dramatically.

None of the spectators to Hild's antics bought it, so she settled and said, "Fine, we're actually just stopping by, so I thought I give you the good news and a chance to meet your new baby sister, Urd-chan!"

Off to the side both Belldandy and Skuld mouthed "Sister?" with shocked expressions, while Urd knelt down, looked to Hild's smooth belly and said with false cheer, "Pleased to meet you, Sis'. Guess it's no surprise, but I gotta' admit Mother sure does move fast."

'_Why do people keep thinking I'm pregnant?!_' Hild thought in exasperation as she then said, "Urd, don't be silly, I'm not pregnant, Ranma-chan is you're new sister!" with that said Hild grabbed a green-looking Ranma and presented her to a very shocked Urd and her doubly shocked sisters.

"Hi… glurg I'm Ranma… pleased ta' meetcha'…" the red-head introduced herself just before she leaned forward and evacuated her stomach contents onto Urd's white shoes… "Hild-mama, I don't feel so good…"

Urd's right eye just twitched at supernatural speed in response…

- - -

* * *

- - -

In a darkened room lit only by a single paper-backed candle, a man in full Samurai regalia was in deep meditation; he then unsheathed the katana-sword in his lap and held it up so only his eyes were reflected in its finely polished surface.

He then said, "Slowly but surely the justice of heaven will be swift culling into the hearts of darkness, and at the set of tomorrow's sun, I shall see it be done to the vile wicked things inhabiting these shores, and thusly in triumph shall I breath life once more into the stilled breast of mine beloved and resurrect her once more into mine embrace." And with that he blew out the solitary candle, casting the room into darkness through which his mad-laugher roared.

- - - - - -

Revised: 1-12-08

Emperor Akihito. The actual name of the Emperor of Japan.

Empress Michiko. The actual name of the Empress.


	8. Chapter 8 Ah! Wicked Machinations?

Daimakaicho Ranma

Chapter 8

Ah! Wicked machinations?

- - -

* * *

- - -

Asgard, the seat of all divinity, the place of pure light and holiness, Heaven in some mortal languages, and a place fabled as the greatest end-all to all existence holding the gates to the Divine Elysium Fields. Within Asgard is the Yggdrasil Systems Control, the second most powerful place in all of Creation; Kami-sama's chamber being first and the Nidhogg Control in Nifflheim being third.

The Yggdrasil Systems Control is a massive white-lit spherical room of gleaming marble and gold, with lush green vegetation and work-stations of various deities floating through and around its vast open space, but dominating the very center of the room is the Yggdrasil itself.

The canopy of a massive tree, bathed in a soft pastel rainbow of lights, like ribbons swirling and twisting around it, each beam with its own purpose… a destiny. Not surprising that the tree was in fact a machine that brought control to the chaos of creation.

Around Yggrasil sat the three primary Systems Operators, The Goddess' Ex, Chrono, and Ere all stationed at the gilded harp-like controls of the massive computer, plucking out a fate altering melody all under the careful scrutiny of an elder goddess, currently the skimpily-clad raven haired beauty Peorth, filling in for the exotic Urd.

Unnoticed by anyone in the flurry of activity, a small golden dot formed on the ethereally white floor just a few paces behind goddess Ere, the dot rapidly increased and spread out forming a magical runic glyph of soft golden light, and suddenly it became a short column of golden light that drew the attentions of most everybody present.

Soon the light began to fade off, revealing the blue haired goddess, Rind in her utilitarian white body-suit and cape. The sight of her familiar face lowered the defenses and attentions at her abrupt arrival and even brought out smiles. If you can't trust Kami-sama's personal First Rank Valkerie, who can you trust?

"Quite the flashy entrance _mon ami_, most unusual for a prime Walkure…" quipped Peorth with a smirk from her floating seat down to Rind.

Rind just looked around for a moment dumbly, and then said more to herself; "Yggdrasil? Why am I in yggdrasil…?"

"Oh… you're not here to sing me adulations of my supreme greatness I'm most surely due for my selfless toiling away in making certain the universe runs smoothly? You wound me so, Rind-chan…" Peorth said affecting overly dramatic hurt, clutching at her chest.

"On no… looks like you-know-who is getting a swelled head again…" Chrono leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially causing Ere and Ex to giggle at the joke.

"I heard that!" Peorth shouted indignantly over her shoulder causing the giggling to increase, she then turned back to Rind who was just stepping out of her transport array and said, "So, Rind, quite the surprise to see you Here of all places…"

For a moment Rind fidgeted and looked uncomfortable under the gaze of the One One Unlimited Goddess Peorth in her skimpy leathers, then said politely bland, "It would appear that my teleportation from my last mission went afoul, Lady Peorth."

Peorth's cheerful face fell slightly as she said blandly, "Obviously…" then her cheer sky-rocketed again as she asked excitedly, "Do you have any good dirt? You know, something, Juicy… from your last mission maybe? It gets sooooo boring around here at times… I know! We could take lunch, get a drink and you could relate some of your latest exploits… maybe see if any of the manly war gods are up to a good time even later…"

"No." Rind said curtly, then softened and said with a light bow, "My apologies, perhaps another time Lady Peorth."

With that she began walking towards the grand archway leading out, when Peorth said back softly, "Alright till then…" as she thought to herself watching the retreating Rind, '_How odd…_'

Rind was almost to exiting through the domineering gates of the Yggdrasil Control when the shouts of the goddess Ere came though of, "Whoa! I'm detecting 2… no, make that 3 Demonic System Bugs approaching! AND FAST!"

Peorth then shouted in disbelief, "WHAT!? How'd they manage to break through the barriers and encryptions?!"

"Unknown Lady Peorth!" Ex shouted as she worked frantically.

"Lock it down! This is a level Alpha breach! We cannot let them corrupt the system!" Peorth shouted as she leapt from her floating seat to stand aside and assist Ex.

"Prepare for Demonic Bug incursion in 3… 2… 1!" Chrono shouted as the tempo of their plucking at fate increased to prevent massive data corruption.

Without turning around Rind winced internally with guilt knowing her unshielded teleportation directly from The Infernal Council Hall in Muspelheim was the cause of this, as the sound of the three large dog-sized growling and salivating black partially insect-like monsters materialized within the Yggdrasil Chamber itself with a roar.

Rind then just ran out as Peorth shouted, "_Sacrebleu!_ Come on ladies; time to bash some bugs! And whatever you do, don't let the buggers reach the Yggdrasil!"

For a great many minutes, Rind just ran, through great halls of gleaming white, and through grand futuristic vistas of lush green gardens, past various deities of multiple pantheons and their spirits and angels, raising their robes in her wake. She ran all too aware of herself, of the little bottle nestled up the sleeve of her white bodysuit, and what she was about to try.

'_For Sith, for our people… I must…_' was her sole driving thought.

At her breakneck pace, she soon found herself just standing at very familiar doors in the absolute center of Asgard, in the gleaming gold and white Tower of the Almighty One. She looked up and down at the massive double-doors, noticing all those little details that are never paid attention to, like all the many layers of gold and silver glyphs and markings of so many languages all set around a fluid design of woven boughs and leaves. For a brief moment, hesitation gripped the normally stoic Valkyrie, but she brushed it off as best she could and with trembling hands pushed her way through into the Chambers of Kami-sama, she had to momentarily squint her eyes at the onslaught of pure white light.

Rind adjusted her white cape and patted down her light blue tresses to make herself more presentable as she strode with dignity through the room that even in the majesty of Asgard was simply awe inspiring, with its seemingly infinite space nearly completely filled with lush green life and the imbued feeling of calm as rainbows flittered overhead.

As she approached the de-facto center of the room where the light of the Almighty shone brightest around a hovering column-like desk that was surrounded by thousands of small floating screens depicting currently-happening scenes throughout the universe, there came words that seemed to come from many places and many voices, "Welcome back Rind, the mission was successful I see."

Rind said on bowed knee, "Yes, My Lord. The rogue spirits on Planet Jurai were silenced as was instructed."

The all surrounding voice "Hmm'd" in acceptance, then said, "It is good, but for some time I was concerned."

"Concerned of what?" Rind asked cautiously.

The voice of Kami-sama spoke again with warmth, "You Rind; for some time you were lost to my sight, and now you seem troubled. Tell me what upsets you so?"

Rind gulped nervously trying desperately to force away her anxiety, and said, "I'm sorry My Lord, after the mission… I… I… that is to say… I went and spoke with my sister." she said with her head bowed, being completely honest.

"Sith." said the voice sounding annoyed at the single word as Rind nodded meekly.

"I know… My Lord that I shouldn't of… but she's… and me… it's just so hard at times…" Rind babbled.

The resonate voice of the Almighty sighed, and said calmly; "I do know Rind, the toll this conflict between our two kinds has been difficult on all of us, especially-so for those with family divided. But you mustn't let sentimentality and family obscure from you the truth that your sister is of the darkness and evil. Hence, her self-proclaimed title of Goddess of Evil."

As HE spoke, Rind couldn't help but to notice the only potted plant under glass in the entirety of the cambers was atop HIS desk, a flower native only to the cold, dark dampness of Niffleheim, the Hilder Blossom, named after The Daimakaicho; a tall scraggly flower with a chaotic thorny bloom of white with purple tips and a black center. Known best only for its effective neurotoxin derived from its seeds that could cripple most beings in the universe. A beautiful and deadly plant, in absolute contrast to everything around it, including Kami-sama's words.

Outside her façade of meek obedience, Rind couldn't help but to think bitterly, '_Hypocrite…_'

"You, most of all Rind, know the hardships of Grace and the duties ascribed to the protection of the planes of existence and the mortal beings." Kami-sama lectured.

Inside the privacy of her mind, Rind couldn't help but to roll her mental eyes and groan, '_Always caring more for the monkeys than us…_' outside she said, "Yes My Lord, I'm aware of these things. But surely with your past relations to Lady Hild and your daughter Mistress Urd you'd be acutely aware of… of a… well a desire to at least speak with family, even despite the conflict."

There was silence for some time, then the voice of Kami-sama spoke, "True… I do suppose I cannot fault you for desiring to speak with your elder sibling. But caution is merited Rind, for Sith is quite manipulative and conniving and would not hesitate to warp you away from the path of light."

Feeling more comfortable now that her chat with the Creator seamed to be coming to an end, Rind smiled slightly and said, "Thank you My Lord, and yes, I DO know my sister well in these matters even though several millennia have passed since we last spoke in great length. But before it escapes my mind, there is just one more thing, My Lord…"

Kami-sama spoke with an amusedly curious tone, "Oh? And what could this be Rind?"

Smiling, Rind reached into the sleeve of her white body-suit and said, "After my last mission I decided to get you a present, albeit a small token…"

The overall light of the chamber went up by many factors as the glowing figure of Kami-sama spoke happily pleased, "A present for me? Rind, this is a most welcome surprise."

Rind nodded with a smile saying, "A Surprise? Yes My Lord, a surprise…" and with that Rind swiftly removed the dark glass bottle of the tortured woman containing Sith's spell and pitched it high upon where Kami-sama seated himself.

For moments Rind tracked the arcing of the small bottle, dread began to fill her as she thought about all the ways this was going to fail and her stupidity at trying to attack The Creator… then she'd be punished. But to her amazement Kami-sama either didn't seem concerned, or shocked still at such a blatant attack from a person he so trusted, as the bottle tumbled through the air towards Him.

Then, a mere two meters from the on high figure of Kami-sama the little bottle of the tortured woman exploded with a wailing air-splitting scream and Rind's breath caught in her chest as she watched Sith's spell unravel and unfurled from it's confines and spread outward.

It was as if time was slowing down as she watched a dozen or more spinning rings of oozing darkness, some as wide as five meters, filled with randomly moving silver and red text formed out of the mist of the bottles remnants and begin to engulf Kami-sama.

HE brought an arm up, to either block or dispel the attack with superior force, but it was milliseconds too late as the first ring encircled Kami-sama on the horizontal axis, then the next following to encircle him at the vertical axis. With these two whirling and whooshing rings spinning in place and interlocked a bubble of transparent dark-hued energy snapped into place as more rings piled on.

All of the rings spinning clockwise, or counterclockwise, or rotating and flipping around whooshing the surrounding air in the gyroscopic movement of the bubble as the golden and red runic text flowed across the dark surfaces of all the rings in a blinding fast pace giving only momentary glimpses of the being of light inside.

Then Rind blinked and time was normal and the spell completed, and there was a bubble of darkness surrounded by so many fast moving gyro-rings containing a being in the indistinct form of a man, of radiant white light.

"RIND! What is the meaning of this treachery?!" Kami-sama bellowed, sounding none too pleased, and all-too vengeful.

"I believe the humans would call this a _Coup d'état_, My Lord." Rind said matter of factly.

Kami-sama gasped and said with shock and disappointment in his voices, "Why Rind, why have you betrayed me?!"

Rind rose to stand, trembling slightly with anxiety she did something she'd only done once before, she spoke to Kami-sama face to face, "I'm sorry My Lord… but our peoples are suffering from stagnation and neither you nor Lady Hild see the problems… the mortals cause us, so my sister Sith is right for one thing… it is time for change, long over-due."

"Release me, immediately and your punishment will be tame, Rind." Kami-sama growled out vengefully.

Rind just shook her head and said, "I'm sorry My Lord, but Sith has had ten millennia to perfect this spell since the end of The War at the singing of the Doublet Treaty. It is simply beyond my abilities. It's even independent from the Yggdrasil."

"Impossible… all spells are either tied to Yggdrasil or Nidhogg to draw power, a spell cannot exist independently." Kami-sama ground-out angrily.

Rind just shook her head and stayed silent, in a last ditch enraged effort Kami-sama entrapped in the sphere of darkness and gyroscopic rings exploded into a fury of white-hot light, Rind had to scream a bloody soul-wrenching scream as her corneas were burned away so she didn't see tendrils of eternal white lash out at the confining bubble distorting its shape here, and there, but never breaching it as the energy of creation roared away trapped inside.

After several minutes the nova of holiest light settled back into the form of the man in the middle, the glowing figure then slumped to his knees not paying attention to Rind clutching her red-blistered hands to the sockets where her eyes once were in her burned-away face, but HE did notice that on a ring roughly in the middle of all the other rings was the proof of Sith's mad genius. On that ring there were seven brightly glowing glyphs, those few symbols showed that the spell drew no outside power to sustain itself, but rather all its power came from within… from HIM. Kami-sama had to laugh a bitter laugh at the thought that he was powering his own isolating prison.

Then there came Sith's frantic voice from within Rind's scorched and smoldering body-suit, "Rind… Rind! What's happening? The spell has been activated, but not finished! What's happening up there?!"

Rind groaned weakly as blood pooled at the corner of her seared mouth, "It hurts… sister it hurts so much…"

"Rind?! What's happened?! Hold up the mirror and let me see!" Sith's voice implored.

Rind slowly and delicately moved as flakes of red and black charred skin cracked and broke away to reach into her suit and pulled out a small mirror that looked like an eye, once exposed it flashed with golden light once and Sith's serpentine face came to rest in its reflection.

Sith gasped at the sight of her burned sister, and muttered, "He burned you badly… Rind, now listen, hold the mirror over you, and I'll heal what I can from here. Please hurry."

"It hurts…" Rind moaned softly as she weakly did as her sister told her, there was the soft muttering of the guttural Infernal language and then a golden beam spread out from the little eye-shaped mirror to cover most of Rinds burned body healing the worst of it to keep Rind alive.

"Now Rind, that's all I can do from here, now hurry! Finish the spell and bring down the barriers and I help you more." Sith implored.

"Yes… I can Oneesama…" Rind said softly as she unsteadily dragged and limped her abused body over to Kami-sama's imprisonment, and with badly blurred vision from her one partially restored eye tapped the three correct symbols on the outermost ring of the sphere of darkness, bringing about the final stage of the spell.

Kami-sama looked strait into the mirror that listlessly dangled from Rind's hand showing Sith's gold-tinged demonic face and said contemptuously, "You won't get away with this Sith, one of the others will stop you, then I'll see you rot in a galactic nexus for Eternity!"

Sith's image smirked as she watched the final phase of her spell take place, as a dark portal to a location in deep-space opened bellow the prison sphere and slowly began to swallow it and Kami-sama inside. Still wearing her smirk she said, "Oh, and who pray-tell will stop me, oh great high holy one? Your Ex-wife Hild? Maybe the new wife… Freyja? That Halfling brat, Urd? Oh I know! Maybe it'll be your precious perfect Belldandy and her human boyfriend that'll stop the revolution?! Ha… as if. No Tyr, I don't think so…"

Just before the portal closed, Kami-sama shouted, "Sith, if you so much as lay one talon on Belldandy I'll…" HE was cut-off as the portal closed

"You'll do nothing…" the image of Sith said contemptuously, she then softened and said to Rind, "Wonderful, simply wonderful little sister, I'm so proud of how you've handled yourself, this was the hard part… now please bring down the Asgard barrier, and I'll help you… and together we'll help our people and end the conflict!"

Through her pain and burns Rind couldn't help but feel elated at her elder sisters praise as she dragged her body towards Kami-sama's control center saying dazedly, "Yes… thank you… help… sister… help all of us…"

Unseen by Rind, as she just couldn't really see much, was the look of mad anticipation on the image of Sith's face in the mirror as she thought, '_One down… one to go_.' as Rind hobbled her way to the floating column-like desk…

- - -

* * *

- - -

In the early-noon time sunnily lit veranda room of the Nekomi Temple there was silence, absolute silence. The kind of silence that puts a person on edge, nervous as to what horror may soon befall them. The silence was especially worrisome given the occupants of the room. To one side of the long low-table sat the Three Norn Goddess', to the other side sat the Grand Daimakaicho Hild and her lackey du-jour; Mara.

Urd sat with her arms crossed across her chest and a scowl marring her eternally good looks as she stared at the white haired woman that coincidentally was her mother, as Hild lounged, not a care in the world, her elbow propped-up on the table with her palm supporting her madly grinning face as she looked towards her wayward daughter and absently twiddled with her black ravens feather earring.

Belldandy sat primly in worry of her big sis' occasionally looking up from her cooling cup of darjeeling tea at the spectacle of the two white-haired women fighting a silent battle of wills.

Skuld sat oblivious to most of her surroundings as she tried to cram a basketball sized knot of multi-colored wires and circuit chips into a blue and green baseball sized sphere… thing-a-ma-bob… of some sort that had a big red button on the top and an orange glass piece on the side.

Oh, and Keiichi was there too… he really didn't have a clue, all that really registered was that he was surrounded on all sides by some of the most gorgeous specimens of female pulchritude to exist in three planes of existence.

So he did what came naturally: He sweated copiously awaiting some measure of doom to befall him. It always did; why would this time be any different?

Finally the eerie silence of the house was broken by the sound of a flush, and then the sink running followed by the process of gurgle, rinse, spit; repeat. Soon the seated parties were witness to a much refreshed looking onna-Ranma as she sauntered into the veranda room and unceremoniously plopped down next to Hild, opposite side of Mara.

Ranma, not caring about the built-up tension in the room, turned to Hild and asked with a frown, "So, Hild-mama, what are we doin' here in this dump? You said that we'd be going back to Nerima."

Hild, without taking her eyes off of Urd said casually, "Did I say that? No… I'm fairly certain I said we'd come back to Japan… and why would you want to go to Nerima anyway, daughter?"

For a moment Ranma shook and clenched her jaw, then relaxed and said, "You know why, I wanna' get back at those… those…" she ended in a growl.

Hild leisurely sat up, spared a glance at Urd who looked like she was about to explode and nonchalantly answered Ranma, "Oh, they're not in Nerima anymore."

"What. Do. You. Mean. They're. NOT. In. Nerima." Ranma ground-out.

Hild's smirk became absolutely devious as she said, "Oh, well that… Seems that your former family and friends are guests of the Emperor as tomorrow, He himself will be presiding over your funeral with full state honors. Just look for yourself; you're quite the celebrity now."

And with that the small television in the corner of the room snapped to life with snow that settled into a picture, and Ranma couldn't help but have her jaw drop as she saw himself in the upper lefthand of the screen and a commentator in the rest of the screen.

Belldandy, finally broached Hild asking, "Excuse me, Hild-san, what exactly is this about? I mean, you with Mr… erm… ah… that is… Miss Ranma and all…"

Hild turned her gaze from Belldandy and looked more towards Urd and said, "Ranma-chan was murdered by her family, that you know from the human news networks, what I know is that Ranma's mother bartered his soul for a wish from a shikima…" Belldandy gasped and Urd winced at that, "… and so, understandably Ranma wants just a little teeny bit of revenge."

Keiichi butted-in, asking, "But what's with the 'Hild-mama' and you calling her 'daughter' and you saying she's Urd's sister?"

Hild rolled her eyes and said, "Isn't it obvious? I adopted dear Ranma-chan to help her."

"Bullshit." That epithet came from Urd, "…what are you planning, anyways? It's just not like you to just take in strays like this."

"What I can't do something nice for a poor tortured soul, just out of the goodness of my heart?" Hild said derisively unabashed, as Urd rolled her eyes and as Belldandy choked on her tea.

Without missing a beat, Urd whipped over to Ranma who was still intently staring at the TV and asked the redhead, "And what about you, how can you just trust her like this?"

Ranma turned her attention away from the TV, looked at Urd and said, "What? Hild-mama is really pretty nice, a lot nicer than a lota' people I could name, so why wouldn't I trust her?" The three sisters and Keiichi simply boggled at this honest statement.

Then, before things could escalate further between Urd and her new 'sister' Ranma, the outside door to the room slid open, revealing an extremely short decrepit looking bald man in a purple martial artists Gi.

Mara was whipping her head back and forth looking between the new arrival and the stunned look on his face, and then to the hate filled visage of Ranma quaking in her seat.

Finally the tableau was broken to Ranma's inarticulate cry of, "HAPPOSAI! I'll Kill you!" as she then proceeded to leap from her seat, handspringing from the table, vaulting over Skuld, to land a surprised kick to the abdomen of Happosai with enough force that he rocketed back through the doorway and out into the open courtyard, where he landed softly in a low crouch.

He looked up to see Ranma slowly stalking forward towards him, her eyes hidden by her bangs of red hair as she said, "You let them… you sat there and let them kill me, cause of that, I'm gonna' enjoy takin' ya' apart, ya' old freak."

Lizasa in the form of Happosai said hastily, "Ranma my boy, this isn't what it seems. Now, I'm sure we could talk this out if you'll just…"

He was cut off by Ranma's shout of, "Happosai, because of you I've seen and felt true Hell!" Ranma then leapt towards Happosai with her fists clenched together raised overhead and intending to bash them over his head, when suddenly her foreword momentum was halted jarringly.

Belldandy, then stepped forward her right hand held high directing the bubble of soft blue light that now surrounded Ranma floating in the air. She then said to Ranma, "I cannot condone this… this… violence in this temple when you don't have all the facts." She then turned away from Ranma and faced the faux-Happosai and commanded him, "Show her. Now."

Lizasa breathed a slight sigh of relief as he looked up to Ranma suspended in the light blue sphere of light as she glared murderous intent at him. He then relaxed and in a puff of gray smoke the short, bald purple clad form of Happosai was replaced by a tall bishonen man, with gray hair wearing a hakama in various shades of gray and white.

"He's a spirit…" Mara said in soft surprise as she leaned out of the veranda room into the courtyard to see, with Hild just quietly watching behind her shoulder with one delicate white eyebrow raised.

From inside the soft blue bubble of light Ranma asked, "I don't get it, what are ya' playing at ya' old freak?!"

The revealed Lizasa was about to speak, when Belldandy spoke for him saying soothingly, "Ranma, this man is actually Lizasa Lenaoko, a spirit sent to grant a dying wish. As he explained, the original Happosai died in the cave your father and Soun Tendo buried him in. So… you've never really met the original Happosai, instead you only know him… this spirit Lizasa, who rather foolishly sought the best way to fulfill the last wish of Happosai was to… um… 'become'… Happosai…"

Belldandy was suddenly cut-off by Ranma interjecting harshly, "Okay then, so why can't I kill him if he was the one all along just sittin' in a different skin?"

Lizasa paled at those words, as did the goddess'.

For a moment he just stared ahead, then he closed his eyes took a calming breath and then approached the capturing sphere, and on bowed knee spoke, "Ranma-sama, the event of your death, was a moment of several fates coming together, in such an event I could not have interfered without dire consequences. To say 'I'm Sorry' is too light an excuse, I do feel as though I failed you in that time of pain. I had already decided that you were the Best possible Martial Artist to inherit the School of Anything Goes; In penance, and in fulfilling the original wish of Happosai, I grant you the entirety of the Anything Goes Arts and will abide by what fate you might see fit for me for my transgression."

Ranma, looked down at the bowed figure of Lizasa and felt her hate of this man deflate down to a semi-rational level at his selfless adherence to Bushido and his giving unto her the Art she loved so much she lived and breathed it.

Belldandy, seeing and feeling the dark feelings and hostile intent slacken and fade-off of Ranma, lowered her and dispelled the sphere. Ranma glanced back to the goddess and gave a polite, but curt nod.

She then said to the bowed Lizasa, "I 'preciate ya' givin' me the Art… I earned it anyway 'cause I'm, like ya said, The Best, but I still 'preciate it. But I certainly ain't ever gonna' go and forgive ya…"

Lizasa closed his eyes and nodded his head expecting as much.

"… but I'm thinkin' that I also ain't gonna kill ya'…"

Lizasa's head snapped up looking at Ranma with wide-eyed surprise.

"…Though by the time I'm through with ya, ya might'a wished I had…" Ranma gave the man a malicious smirk that Hild approved of, and continued, "…Instead I'm gonna' have ya' train me and anyone else I choose, till I say stop. Capiche?"

He just nodded his acceptance in defeat, knowing there was no point in trying to argue, especially not since the Daimakaicho herself was staring him down with a manic grin.

'_Well, Lizasa you old dummy, you're fucked now…_' he thought sourly.

"There's still just one more thing still, so stand up." she said to the still kneeling Lizasa. He did so facing Ranma, she then held out her right hand with a grin on her face. Lizasa thinking the obvious began to reach out to shake it, when her hand blurred upwards, the flat back of her hand smacking the soft underside of his chin thus snapping his head back and causing a tooth to fly out of his mouth when her other hand shot forwards right into his belly, sinking deeply into the pliant flesh, causing Lizasa to fall to his knees and heave blood, bile and breathe, as she removed her fist.

"Consider –That- the first installment of pain, for ya' pretendin' to be a perverted asshole to me an' the Tendo's for the last couple o' years ya' freak… and practice starts tomorrow mornin'. Sharp." Ranma spat at the crumpled gasping form of Lizasa.

She then spun-around on her heels, mock dusting her hands, and came face to face with Urd, a very unhappy looking Urd. In fact, Urd looked pissed. The pulsing vein visible on her forehead was a good indicator of this fact.

"What in all of Father's creation is wrong with you! He submitted to you and you still beat him up with such low blows! I can't believe you… you… Spore!"

As Belldandy, Skuld and Keiichi looked on pensively, and Hild and Mara looked on the scene approvingly, Ranma raised a single red-eyebrow and asked curiously, "-Spore-?"

Urd snorted superiorly and said, "Why of course! We goddess' measure age in Era's and epochs! Skuld is our youngest and she's still a 'Squirt'. But if you're going to be my 'sister' as mother says… why that makes you just barely alive by our standards… a veritable –Spore- of a fledgling, you Spore!"

"So what yer' saying' is that yer' really really old, right?" Ranma drawled out slowly, and Skuld had to clap her hands over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud as Urd went purple in rage.

Belldandy sighed softly to herself, seeing as how –someone- had to act like a responsible adult and stop this, and seeing as how Hild seemed perfectly content to sit back and watch, she took the initiative and reached out and softly grasped Urd's shoulder from behind just as Urd was saying, "You little insignificant piece of…"

"Urd, let it go, she's just trying to make you madder, please…" Belldandy implored. Urd just looked over her shoulder at her sister and sighed a calming sigh and began to walk away. But before Urd was out of earshot though, she looked back over her shoulder at Ranma and said with a snort, "Welcome to the Universes oldest dysfunctional family -Spore-."

Belldandy then turned a tentative smile towards a Ranma scowling at the retreating backside of Urd, she then asked cheerily, "It's almost lunchtime, are you and… um… Hild-san and Mara-san be staying?"

Ranma just shrugged her shoulders and said," I 'spose so, would haft'a ask Hild-mama to be sure though, but luch sounds good." Ranma began walking to the temple house and paused almost brushing against Belldandy and asked with a grin, "Anyone ever tell you, that you're cute when you smile?"

Blushing, Belldandy cupped her cheek with her hand in memory of Keiichi-san telling her of her cute smile, she then said dreamily, "Why yes, yes I have been told so..."

"Good thing that…" Ranma said lazily as she walked on, but not before Belldandy felt a hand graze and lightly lift her right butt cheek under her dress.

With shocked-wide eyes, Belldandy whipped around… to face nothing, no sight of Ranma anywhere, only Keiichi and Skuld who seemed to of missed the exchange, softly she said to herself with both hands on her face cheeks. "Oh my…"

From inside the house, sat Hild with her lips pressed in thin a tight and tight line at an unforeseen development, then ever-so slowly her grin split her face as she thought, '_Why Belldandy, you naughty girl…_' her thoughts were then interrupted by a poking at her side and an annoying beeping sound, turning her head she saw two little red eyes of a little robotic man wearing a black hat, poking her side with a stick. '_But first things first for being so rude…_' she thought to herself staring down at Banbei…

- - -

* * *

- - -

In the deepest, darkest, most fabled and foreboding region of China, barely touched by the hands of time or man, in the pre-dawn's light three road-weary travelers sat comfortably, in the rear of a rickety freight truck as it sped its way at breakneck speeds over the rough roads of the inland passes.

Next to a wooden crate that jumped and skittered with the trucks rickety movements leaned a jet-black haired young man in soot stained white robes as he snored lightly, across from him sat a wide awake and seemingly anxious purple-haired woman with slight amounts of soot and gasoline splotches on her green floral patterned silk pantsuit, and atop another crate was perched a shriveled and desiccated woman-thing in green robes staring off into space as she periodically clenched and unclenched her jaw.

After an interminable amount of time and kilometers, the purple-haired beauty spoke softly to the elder-woman in a rare dialect of chinese, ""What'll happen when we get back to the village great-grandmother?""

The elder gave a raspy "Hmmm." In thought then spoke in a voice telling her years, ""I suspect nothing Shampoo. Your honor and the pride of the village has been restored through the Pledge of the Kiss of Death… even though you didn't have a hand _directly_ involved in the process… So I suppose life will return to a semblance of what we might consider normal."" she finished with a horrifying smirk.

Shampoo considered this for a moment, her thoughts only being interrupted by the sound of a air-machine fly overhead, when the corners of her lips turned up in a smile and she spoke clearly pleased in chinese, ""Ah… I see…""

"You've been unusually quiet since we left the boat at the port on the yellow-river, Shampoo…" the elder paused to look thoughtfully down at the girl, then smirking rasped-out "… so, a yuan for your thoughts?"

Shampoo nodded her head and slowly asked, ""Great-grandmother, why didn't we at least try to help Ranma? You've told me of many things that could've captured a soul before going off to the land of the dead. Then we could've used many magics to bring Husband back home, with no-one in Nerima any wiser.""

The next thing Shampoo knew was pain in the top of her head from Cologne striking her head with the staff.

Cologne sighed and said patronizingly, ""Shampoo, that is a possibility I would never consider in the case with former son-in-law. His soul was marked by evil demons. And we Amazons have survived for more than 3,000 years simply because we do NOT meddle with demons. We do not attract their attention, thus their wrath. Ever. Do you see?""

""I see…" Shampoo said softly rubbing the growing know atop her head.

Cologne sensing there was something else asked, ""Something else troubles you, does it?""

The younger woman nodded and easily hid her blush in the darkness and said, ""I was thinking of Lubri, actually…"

Cologne raised an eyebrow in surprise and rasped, ""Lubri… as in Lubri Keent in the next village over from ours?" seeing the purple hair girl nod, she said back with a smirk, "Just be careful with that one Shampoo, she's a slippery one, doubly so since I got word that she willingly bathed herself in Nannichuan...""

""I know! She's all the better now that she's like how Ranma was!"" bubbled Shampoo happily at the prospect of a dual-gendered paramour.

Cologne nodded wordlessly in understanding; pleased that some of her teachings were finally beginning to show through the often brash and naïve warrior maiden seated below her.

With that the rest of the ride was spent quietly, until the truck slowed to a stop, there was the sound of the drivers door being slammed shut, then the driver rapped on the side-door of the cargo-box as he opened it to reveal the morning light on the three Amazons, and said in a smokers rasp, ""End of the line folks, no good roads go up to them villages yer headin' to…"

Cologne hopped down and said kindly in her aged rasp, ""Thank you for the ride Mr. Jang, at my age, I was not looking forward to a long hike back home."

""Aw… think nothin' of it ma'am, t'was the least I could do…" Mr. Jang the burly muscle-bound driver said kindly embarrassed scratching the back of his head as he walked back to the cab.

With that Shampoo kicked Mousse awake to which he mumbled, "I'm up… I'm up…" as he pinched the bridge of his nose where his glasses usually sat and re-shouldered his pack as Cologne and Shampoo did the same.

After almost 4 kilometers of uphill hiking the three came to within sight of the Joketsuzoko Amazon village gates, when Shampoo noticed a tall machine in the middle of the village, ""Look great-grandmother! Black wings!"

Cologne noticed them too, and didn't like it one bit as she implored, ""Hurry children, the village needs us!""

They then quickened their pace and were soon in the village proper and noticed all the villagers crowded together around a large black military helicopter with swords drawn.

Looking past the crowd, Cologne saw the regional liaison, the 50-ish Minister Den-Shur sitting calmly on a wood bench a short distance from the helicopter, the insufferable slimy man flanked by two armed guards.

Hopping over to the blue business-suit clad bureaucratic weasel, Cologne forced a smile onto her face as she said, "Minister Den-Shur, what a pleasant, and unexpected surprise. To what does this village owe this visit?"

"Cut the ass-kissery Cologne, it doesn't suit you; I'm here on international business…"

Cologne stiffened at that, and made a feint thumb motion across her neck, the result was immediate as the leaves in the trees overhead rustled, and a orange-haired beauty fell from the high trees, doing two summersaults in midair before landing in a crouch one meter in front of Den-Shur, she then pushed a bottle labeled 911 into the crevice of her cleavage and coyly finger-waved the Minister as she turned and trotted away with a good bounce.

Cologne noticing Den-Shur's eyes moving in rhythm to the sway of the retreating girls bottom, cleared her throat and asked, ""I believe you said something about business?""

""Ah yes, business… even though I'd much rather enjoy the lovely and lush _scenery_ of this area… there is business afterall…" Den-Shur said with a leer. He continued, ""As you know there's been quite the uproar in Japan since Ranma Soatome died, so much so that the Emperor has become involved as I understand it. And my superiors in Beijing received this, this morning and telefaxed it to my office along with my orders."

With that he pushed a sheaf of papers across the bench for Cologne to inspect them, after several minutes of quiet reading, the aged crone gasped and said, ""The Japanese Emperor requests us to come… by name?!"

""Yes, most unusual isn't it? But those are my orders, and while I'm offered much lee-way in usual affairs, in this I must comply… so will you come peacefully?""

""And if we didn't come peacefully?" Cologne ventured.

Den-Shur looked grim for a moment and replied, ""Well, you could resist… use that formula 911 you all are so fond of, or some other dastardly thing from 3,000 years of Amazon culture… but I think given the circumstances such… resistance that would put our nation in a bad international light… would make this little valley a prime new target for nuclear test drops, after all, the big-wigs in Beijing are always looking for scarcely populated areas to test in."" he finished with a nasty grin.

Quickly Cologne realized his threat was not a hollow one, that their little corner of China had gotten a lot of attention by the PRC lately with all the martial activities between Ranma the Musk and the Phoenix tribes, and that the Generals would hop on a chance to nuke several 'problems' all at once…

Tired and hungry, Cologne said in a resigned tone with her eyes closed, ""Shampoo, Mousse, get in the helicopter, we're going back to Japan.""

Shampoo squawked and whined, "But we just got back!"

Cologne whipped her staff around and clonked Shampoo on her head and hissed, ""Now is not a time for whining! Now do as you're told!""

""Yes great-grandmother…" Shampoo said quietly as she and Mousse walked over to the helicopter.

Cologne then gave a slight wave of her hand and the assembled Amazons dissipated back to their daily routines, and then began her pogo'ing to the helicopter, then stopped to look over her shoulder at Den-Shur right behind her and said, "For all your heavy-handed tactics, and political weaseling, even if you managed to worm your way to be Prime Minister, you're still a failure, Den-Shur."

Den-Shur just gave Cologne a sickly smile and said in a false sweet voice, ""Gee, I love you too mom…""

Cologne just groaned in irritation, again wishing that Den-Shur had ended up as just another wet spot on the bed sheets as she thought about what might be happening back in Japan that the Emperor would request her by name…

- - -

* * *

- - -

Back in Nekomi at a certain temple, the noon-time repast had past quietly tense as the goddess', demoness', spirit and mortal man had enjoyed simple, hastily prepared sandwiches.

As Belldandy was sipping at some tea, she couldn't help but to gaze fondly at Keiichi, she then noticed he was looking at something across the table… she tracked his line of sight, and her eyes met the profound bosoms of Ranma.

Without being noticeable she looked down at her own bosom and felt… a twinge of something… she then looked back to Ranma's… endowments, then to how Keiichi's gaze was locked to the still obliviously eating Ranma.

Belldandy then felt another twinge of emotion, she was sure it was an emotion, just not sure which one, and suddenly a flower vase behind her exploded violently.

"What was that!?" Ranma exclaimed in surprise at seeing a vase just go Boom!

Still chewing, Mara said casually, "Keiichi and Belldandy were staring at your tits. So Belldandy got jealous, I'd say."

"Yeah, I guess they're pretty impressive, ne?" Ranma said striking a pose for Keiichi that just happened to put strain in the cloth of her shirt… the results of such being Keiichi passing out with a nose-bleed as the rest of his blood left his head…

Urd chose this same moment to laugh and say, "Those? Ha! Now me, on the other hand am beyond compare, nothing like you're little…" Urd didn't have to finish her sentence.

For a moment Ranma appraised Urd's physique and then said, "Yeah, I guess yer' alright… especially since you were flat as a board as a kid…"

"What did you say?" Urd growled out slowly.

"In Hild-mama' palace I had to raid yer closet for somethin' to wear, and with all the black and pink lace, it was all too small for me, if you know what I mean…" Ranma wagged her eyebrows in meaning.

"You were in my room!!" Urd shrieked, she then rounded on Hild, "You let her in my room and touch MY things!" she shrieked again with enough force to blow the Daimakaicho's hair back slightly.

"What? You've not used your room for millennia… I should have cleaned it out eons ago really…" Hild said calmly.

"But… but… it's my room…" Urd muttered softly to herself sadly with a little cloud of her depression over her head.

"feh… boobs…" Skuld remarked to herself, disgustedly.

"Heh, don't worry kiddo, they're kinda' something you gotta' have first to be able to really 'preciate. But you still got time to fill out some I guess." Ranma mockingly, causing Mara to fall backwards howling with laugher at the antics, and cause Skuld to go beet-red with embarrassment, as Lizasa choked as tea went down the wrong pipe.

"Belldandy…" Hild spoke gain the goddess's attention as she was watching over Keiichi, "… there's no need to get jealous, Keiichi isn't Ranma's 'type'. Isn't that right Ranma?"

"Keiichi? The twerp? Ew, heck no…" Ranma said. Belldandy internally was relieved.

"Naw, Belldandy is more my speed…" the red-head continued causing Belldandy's head to snap-up and look on in surprise, "… I mean she's got that whole 'innocent girl next door' thing going for her, and all. Not that I'm lookin' or nothin'."

Hild chuckled slightly and Mara's laughing was renewed at the blush that painted Belldandy's face.

Suddenly there was the sound of a throat being cleared, it was Hild, once she was sure she had everyone's attention, even the partially revived Keiichi, she asked in a disgustingly cute voice, "Belldandy, could I ask you for one, teeny, weey, itty bitty, eency-weency little favour?" she emphasized this by pinching her forefinger and thumb only a paper thickness apart.

Belldandy looked at Hild, then at Urd who was standing behind Hild, waving her hands, mouthing the word "NO!" over and over, and pantomiming strangling herself.

Unsure of exactly what to do, Belldandy took the easy out and asked, "Why, what kind of favour Hild-san?"

"Oh, it's nothing really, it's just such a chore to go back to Niffelheim to have to then come back here tomorrow to attend Ranma's funeral, that I was thinking we, that is Ma-chan, Ranma-chan and I could spend the night here." Hild said with a broad smile at Belldandy.

Promptly there was the sound of Urd facevaulting behind Hild.

Slowly Belldandy asked, "You, want to spend the night here…"

Hild grinned and nodded enthusiastically.

"… in a temple…"

Again Hild nodded while grinning.

"… with Mara-san and Ranma-san…"

Hild's grin split her face as her head kept bobbing.

"… with us goddess', Keiichi-san and Lizasa-san."

Hild, still grinning said, "Why, yes that's just about it."

Belldandy was understandably nervous, The Daimakaicho wasn't someone that even a One-One Unlimited goddess said 'No' to lightly… but then again right behind Hild there was Urd pantomiming being stabbed in the heart repeatedly and next to her Skuld pantomiming being hung, along with Mara and Ranma just staring stupefied at the two goddess's stupidity.

After several seconds, Belldandly just smiled lightly and said, I suppose ONE night wouldn't hurt…"

The next thing Belldandy knew was Hild's squeal of delight and then being held in a crushing embrace as Hild said, "Oh! You're just like That Person! Bell-chan you're much too kind! It'll be just like a girls sleep over! Isn't that great!?"

Belldandy, seeing over Hild's shoulder at her two sisters faces firmly planted into the floor, and then Ranma, '_Is she my one/third step-sister now too?_' was an absent thought, who was winking at her in a highly inappropriate way, Belldandy's smile became strained as her cheek wanted to twitch, but still in the Daimakaicho's embrace she mumbled "Just great…" as she wondered what could possibly happen next…

- - -

* * *

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Credit for "Den-Shur" aka "Denture" goes to **Spokavriel **of Fukufics forums.

I'd also like to thank Materia-Blade for essentially giving me the swift kick to the posterior to get this chapter posted. Sorry for the wait, I'll try to be fast on successive chapters.

I like reviews.


	9. Chapter 9 Interrupted Interlude?

Daimakaicho Ranma, chapter 9

Daimakaicho Ranma, chapter 9.

Ah! Do dreams dream, the Dreamer?

- - - - - -

It was slowly approaching dusk over the Nekomi Temple, as the blue skies of the day were being replaced by the streaking of golden orange hues painting the skies in the perpetual preparation for the onset of evening.

Lizasa sat off the back porch dangling his legs over the edge as he held a mostly melted ice-pack to his swelled and bruised face.

Earlier in the day the two groups of goddess' and demoness' mostly separated and kept to themselves as they busied themselves as best they could.

'_Although,_ _I'm surprised there's not been a fatality yet…_' Lizasa thought to himself with some wry humor, at a particular incident where Urd had asked Skuld why the TV picture was all-of-a-sudden so bright and crisp. Skuld herself was immediately curious, so she set off to find out how a 30 year old radiation-box like Keiichi's TV could get HD crystal-clarity. She found the reason being Banpei, the toy-like robot, had been lashed to the TV roof-antenna like a giant, brightly colored roof ornament.

Needless to say that she was –_less_- than pleased and immediately accused first Ranma, then Mara, then Hild, then called them all co-conspirators as she spieled into a rant-fit…

Needless to say that they emphatically denied it but the small smiles weren't really convincing of their innocence. Banpei not willing to come within 4 meters of Hild though was a clincher.

Needless to say that Skuld went into a screaming tantrum at the three demoness's for their abuse of Banpei-kun… that is until Mara had just bent herself down to Skuld's level, grinned like an idiot and whispered something into the pint-sized goddess's ear. Skuld on her part just became –real- quiet, turned –blue-, backed away slowly from the blond devil and then ran for the bathroom.

'_And here I thought this kind of insanity only happened in Nerima…_' Lizasa thought to himself at the memory.

Suddenly, a frosty brown bottle of beer came into Lizasa's field of vision, looking up he saw the Morisato boy holding said beer out for him with a nervous smile. Nodding to the boy, he gratefully took the proffered bottle, first put it to his chin with a relieved groan then took a long relieved swig.

Keiichi sat down next to the kami-spirit and sipped at his own cold bottle as he too watched the sky. After several silent moments Keiichi asked, "So… what do think about all this with Hild-san coming here with that new redhead demon chick?"

Lizasa chuckled, then groaned in pain from moving his mouth, and said, "First boy, don't let Ranma hear you call her… him… her… whatever a 'chick'. She'd probably pull you're spine out through your nipples."

Seeing Keiichi's eyes expand and his chin drop, Lizasa couldn't help but to laugh through his pain, and then said, "Settle boy, it was a joke…"

"A bad one…" Keiichi mumbled recalling how literal some super-natural beings could be.

"… and honestly anything that involves Hild, I'm not sure what to think." Lizasa seeing Keiichi's question continued. "See, today was the first day I've ever met The Daimakaicho, praise God for small miracles that that's the case, so I'm at a loss just going by memory at some of the reports and second hand stories about Hild I've heard as I've been working in the Spirit Relief Office over these last few centuries."

Swallowing a knot in his throat, Keiichi asked, "How bad could this all be then?"

The gray haired spirit held up his bottle to look at the setting sun through the amber glass, with a sigh he said, "Hild is the TOP demon for a reason… did you know other, lesser demons even pray to and worship her? Call her their Demon-Goddess?"

Keiichi shook his head 'no'.

"Yeah… well… if even a fraction of a fraction of what I've read and heard is true, and I'd be inclined to believe it was far more than that… well let's just say that her being here, with the notorious Mara and a fighting genius like Ranma, who are both exceedingly dangerous in their own, while she's scheming something, all the while there's the Three Norns here…" he paused to comb his fingers through his long and wild grayish hair. "… let's say that I'm piss scared and leave it to that."

With wide eyes Keiichi asked in a panicked voice, "It can't be –THAT- bad… can it? I mean, you work for the gods' right? And Hild seems just like some eccentric…"

Lizasa shook his head sadly and said, "Boy, I'm going to say this very clearly. Hild is the opposite of Kami-Sama. While HE'S The Creator, SHE is Destruction. She could probably vaporize the entire Solar System with an absent thought –IF- she wasn't wearing all of those limiters on her body, clothes and hair. Mara… well her own peculiar mark of influence can be seen in some of the worst horrors and atrocities in human history, and then there's Ranma… when Ranma was alive and just a mortal he could form energy blasts, make tornadoes to swallow his opponent, split mountains in twain… he even slayed a demi-god named Saffron. And by comparison, I don't think I could've fared so well against Saffron, he was just a beast of a fighter in terms of raw, unmitigated power. So yeah, with all of them in one place like this on Midgard, I think I'm justified in being scared spitless."

Lizasa took one last swig of his bottle to empty it and said quietly, "And I shudder to think what'll happen when Ranma comes into whatever powers Hild has given her."

"What do you mean; don't gods and demons just sort of use their powers when they get them?" Keiichi asked quietly, still digesting the bleak picture Lizasa had painted.

"No boy, gods and demons, when they are young only have the most basic rudimentary powers of their race; they have to go through a sort of…" Lizasa paused to think of a word, "… '_puberty_' I guess you could call it so they can grow into their powers without accidentally blowing something up. Namely themselves. Like Skuld, she's just begun entering this type of '_puberty_' in earnest. But with Ranma… only Hild knows what'll happen there I'm afraid."

With that said the two men just sat quietly, only the sounds of Keiichi sipping at his bottle and the chirps of birds breaking the odd silence. And truth be told, it was the silence that was most nerve wracking to Keiichi after hearing Lizasa speak.

Suddenly a feminine cry split the air, coming from within the house.

"That was Ranma's voice…" Lizasa said quietly with narrowed eyes.

Keiichi nervously looked to the spirit and asked, "Should we… ah… go and see if there's a problem?"

At first Lizasa wanted to say 'are you nuts?!' but instead said haltingly, "No… I don't think so… we'd probably just be in the way if there's a problem…"

"Good point…" agreed Morisato.

"So…"

"Yeah…"

"Up for a game of Shogi?"

"Sounds good. I'll set the tiles…"

- - - - - -

Earlier inside the house, after Belldandy went outside to do laundry with a song on her lips, Urd gave a sharp glance to her mother, before excusing herself in a polite and proper goddess-like way from the dining table to go to her lab/bedroom, to this Hild looked thoughtful at her retreating daughter.

Skuld for her part had reached into her blouse, and in an action defying all known laws of physics, removed the large blue and green sphere… thing… from earlier and wandered-out of the room muttering things about 'tachyons' and 'field displacement' under her breath.

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**THIS SCENE WILL EITHER BE REVISED, OR ADDED TO THE NEXT CHAPTER**.

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just keep obsessing over this one scene, otherwise this chapter has been good to go for weeks...

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Meanwhile on the other side of the planet, a street urchin dressed in the remains of rags and tatters by the name of Jacob huddled himself in tighter into his makeshift home of wood-pallets and cardboard in a small back alley as the morning sun moving across the sky disturbed the man and his rest after the long cold night.

The more than ten years on the street had not been kind to Jacob; his withered and emaciated body was riddled with disease, his yellow skin and eyes being testament to that. And beside his 'home' in this anonymous back alley was his bank of all his worldly possessions; a shopping cart he purloined and filled with what most people would call trash, but not Jacob, like so many other street-wanders, everything in that cart was a treasure that would help keep him alive.

He of course, hadn't always been like this, he realized. Once he was a moderately successful grocery supplier, selling ice to all the greens and meat markets. But he knew his downturn came when his lusts for gambling overrode his sense and he started going to the 'wrong people' in ever higher stakes gambling that eventually pulled him into the path of drugs… then his wife, unable to take his abuse anymore divorced him, taking their 7 year old son with her… Then came the 'borrowers' he'd lent from seeking back their payments, then he lost his house… it was all a fast moving downward spiral in which Jacobs small stress-relief hobby had cost him everything.

Jacob stirred again under his cardboard blanket as an electric prickling seemed to spread over his body, briefly he wondered if this was it, if he was finally having a heart attack that would end him and his wretched life. He prayed it was so.

It didn't; instead the electric feeling seemed to fill the air, so slowly he opened his blurry eyes and sat-up against the brickwall of the building he was next to, and took stock of what was happening, as the electric air began to become oppressive in it's pressure, and small gusts of wind started to blow trash around in the confined space of the alley.

Rapidly Jacobs eyes widened to witness small arcs of electricity begin to form and lash out from the rainspouts and trash dumpsters, even as the wind intensified to the point where he had to bring his arm up to shied his face from the torrent of highly charged air.

Suddenly it all stopped, leaving a calm quite as the litter began to settle back to the ground, Jacob feeling as though what-ever that was had passed began the arduous process of standing up, when without warning the electrical arcs returned, magnified a hundred-fold in intensity lashing out against any conductive surface, and then there was the bang, almost as powerful and a summertime thunderclap it rang out through the alley as it was accompanied by a momentary blinding flash of pink light.

Jacob began to blink the stars out of his eyes as the ringing in his head slowly lessened. When he finally was able to see scant moments later, the sight before him took his breath away, as there standing in the midst of falling debris was a woman, a tall blond beauty the likes of which Jacob had never seen before. She was dressed in a simple midriff revealing violet mini-jacket and navy blue skirt that bordered on indecent… and she completely ignored him as she stared at her right hand as she flexed it open and closed, as if testing it.

After almost a minute she finally noticed where she was and then grimaced, shook her head in disappointment and said in a perfect sultry voice, "An alley, a stupid dank alley, how cliché can I be? Jeez… "

Her gaze then noticed Jacob, and she stared at her witness with her cold violet eyes with an intensity that made Jacob tremor with fear. Not the kind of fear he'd felt when staring down the hard and murderous gazes of the local drug dealers who might've killed him on a whim; no the fear this woman inspired came right from the depths of his soul. The fear that every animal has when faced with a large predator. The fear of evil.

"Hello Jacob." She said pleasantly as she began to walk sensually towards him, as he tried to press himself harder against the unyielding brickwall.

When she was within arms reach, she smiled at him showing her perfect white teeth and reached into her violet mini-jacket and pulled out a single shiny brass coin.

She then spoke again in a playful tone, "Jacob, you were a naughty boy, watching me materialize on Midgard like that, but I have a solution! So, care to make a little wager?"

He tentatively opened his mouth, and after several seconds of shaking managed to whisper out through his cracking and horse voice, "w-what k-kind of wager?"

Her eyes lit up with glee as she said playfully, "A very simple one!" she held up the face of the large brass coin showing a bearded man's face in profile, "Heads's I win, and you die, or…" she flipped the coin around showing the reverse of an Elephant, "… Tails and you live. Do you agree?"

Without even thinking that these terms could very well end his life, he nodded slightly, and she exclaimed, "Excellent!" as she flicked the coin with a audible 'ting' into the air where it flashed and tumbled randomly, her hands then moved fast grabbing the spinning coin from the air and slapping it to the back of her hand, covered. She then held out her left hand that had her right clasped tightly over it, to Jacob for his inspection. She then drew he right hand away revealing the side of the coin the determined Jacobs fate.

She looked annoyed at the result and said, "It's Tails, you win… looks like this is your lucky day Jacob…"

"H-how do you k-know my name?" he managed to stutter-out in his relief and fear.

She took several steps back, nearing the main street-side entrance to the alley and said whimsically with a broad smile, "Silly little human, I'm Empusa, the Grand Demoness of Lust. And I know –you- Jacob Smalley, age 53, son of Margaretta and Edward Smalley of South Sussex, father to little Philip Smalley, –_very_- well." she winked at him after rattling off the these details of his life.

There and then the light shifted a small measure for Jacob and he saw the perfect visage of the so-named 'Empusa', but moreover he saw her shadow cast along the wall of the alley, a huge hideously grotesque horned shadow that loomed over the all-too perfect woman, her shadow showing her true horror.

Tears began to drip from Jacobs eyes and into his scraggly beard as he also soiled his already filthy pants, he began to realize something… something dangerous… he mumbled, "oh… oh no… oh God…"

Empusa tilted her head and looked to Jacob queerly and said, "God?" she then smiled broadly and said, "No… not Yet…" and with that she casually walked out of the alley and into the throng of people moving on the sidewalks as they do in any bustling city. And after Empusa had left the alley Jacob fell to his hand and knees and threw-up as the emotional toll of the encounter and realization caught-up to him, as he mumbled to himself, "repent… demons walk among us..."

- - - - - -

"Sir… Excuse me Sir! There's an urgent message for you…"

USAF General Seebert Mösser of the Joint Chiefs of Staff looked up from his stack of readiness reports to the sharply dressed Lt.Col. standing with a half-salute in the door way of his Pentagon based office. He then sat up straight closing his open folders and asked, "Yes Lieutenant, what's the message?"

"Sir! The Australians have reported that they lost all contact with one of their nuclear platform submarines at an estimated bearing of 250 nautical miles north of Auckland New Zealand. Furthermore they're requesting us to perform a satellite fly-over to aide in pinging the ships location, sir."

General Mösser for several moments just stared at the Lt.Col, knowing… just knowing, that the last thing he needed to hear about was a –lost- of all things, nuclear submarine. One undoubtedly loaded with a full compliment of six nuclear missiles.

He then gave a resigned sigh and leaned back into his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose where his glasses sat he addressed the still waiting Lt.Col., "Alright, go out and phone up SkyWatch, appraise them of the situation and have them report back to me when they find the Aussie boat. That's all, dismissed."

"Aye sir!" the Lt.Col said and was about to leave the General's office to carry out this duty when the General called back, "Oh, and Lieutenant, for this royal FOP-up have the Aussie Ambassador shot, will you?"

The Lt.Col smirked over his shoulder and said with good humor, matching the General's grin, and said, "Sorry sir, that's not in the REG's."

General Mösser looked up at the ceiling in exasperation and said, "that figures... remind me to change the REG's some time…" which caused the Lieutenant Colonel to laugh lightly at the joke as he left the office closing the door behind him.

After the Lt.Col. had left his office, Mösser let his humor fade off, leaving him with a good bit of worry. '_A lost nuclear submarine? How many ways can you spell 'Holy Crap!_' he thought. Russians… he'd almost expect this sort of thing to happen with Russians, but not with an Australian boat.

That then raised a chilling thought in his mind. Terrorism.

Seebert had read many reports lately about Australia's growing problems with Muslim terrorists, usually consisting of random street stabbings and harassment to anything not islamic. Small stuff. But now with this missing submarine… well it wasn't likely, but he always had to think of the "worst case scenario" of what-if islamo-fascist terrorists had some how managed to take control of such a dangerous ship?

"That's it; I'm taking an early lunch." Seebert said to himself in an attempt to get away from such thoughts.

"Oh, you poor boy, you not having a good day?" cooed a feminine voice from behind Mösser.

Startled he rapidly swiveled his chair around to face his window, and then confronted with the sight before him, he had to fight the urge to go 'hubba hubba…'

There, sitting demurely on his window side credenza was a spectacularly gorgeous woman wearing a mock of the US Navy women's dress uniform of a skin tight white micro-mini skirt, too-tight white blouse that was partially open showing impressive cleavage and unbuttoned jacket. White sensibly heeled shoes and a small white cap that didn't quite cover the bun her blond hair had been put into. What made the effect otherworldly though was the late morning sun glowing around her from the window and the two small red marks on her cheeks and the four small curving vertical lines on her forehead that if you were to squint your eyes a little would look suspiciously like a woman's... ahem…

Regaining his composure, Mösser coughed into his hand and said gruffly, "Maddam, this is a restricted wing, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave immediately, or I'll call the guards and have them escort you out."

"Oh, I don't think that will be necessary..." the blond beauty cooed, and unknown to Mösser the three MP officers that were responding to his silent 'emergency call' all dropped dead from heart attacks.

"Now good General, I understand that you're a busy man, so I'll be concise, I would like you to hand me the Icarus Chip." the woman said as she held out her open hand.

"Maddam, I haven't a clue what you're talking about, needless to say you should surrender now to spare yourself in whatever charges you'll be brought up on!" Mösser dissembled.

"So... you don't know what Icarus is then, is that it?" she said looking less amused.

The Gerneral nodded, "that's correct Maddam..."

He was cut off as she said with a grin, "I think you're lying, Icarus was a boy, whose father Daedalus made for him wings of wax for their escape, but so enraptured by flight was Icarus that he flew to close to the sun, where the wings melted and he fell from the skies back unto the earth and thus to his death. Quite an interesting story really, but what I want is the Project Icarus control chip you have hanging around your neck!"

Eyes wide with shock as only a select few people on the planet knew about the project, much less where the master control chip was kept, General Mösser clutched the large piece of plastic and circuitry that was under the collar of his shirt at all times.

"Ah ha!" she shouted, "I knew you were lying! Didn't you know that that's a sin to lie?! Now will you -please- give me that control chip? Sith really wants it."

"Lady, I don't know who or what you think you are, but the only way you're going to get this chip is over my dead body!"

The blond reared back and glared at the man as she said slowly while shaking her head, "You humans, your penchant for stubbornness is sometimes endearing, but more often its vastly irritating... but very well, I'm Empusa, the Demon Prince of Lusts, and you have something we need..."

She was interrupted by Mösser who now knew that this chick was Grade 'A' certifiable as he said with anger creeping into his voice, "Empusa or Elvis reincarnated, I don't give a fuck, the only way you're getting this chip is over my cold dead body, is that understood!?"

Empusa chuckled in her mind, '_Elvis reincarnated? He's not even dead..._' to The General she said, "Is that you're wish, that I not have the chip unless your dead?"

Mösser was moments away from opening his desk drawer and pulling out his service pistol to arrest this loony bitch, as he said heatedly, "Yes it's my wish you stupid dyke, now are you..."

Whatever else he was going to say was stopped as Empusa ducked her head down with her eyes closed, suddenly the red indecent tattoo's on her face began to glow as she floated upwards slightly and as random objects not bolted down began to lift up and swirl in the confines of the office. Slowly in the chaos of the room, and to the stupification of the General, Empusa ever so slowly raised her head and languidly opened her her eyes witch were glowing with an internal violet hued power, and also as slowly an oddly a reverberating bass tone but femininely lilted voice drifted from her lips saying, "Wish granted!"

And with that, everything stopped, Empusa stood on the floor, and the object that had been floating around the room fell with a crash as gravity reasserted itself. Empusa them stalked up to The General with a manic smile, she crouched slightly and brought her finely manicured index finger of her right hand up to his face for his inspection, with a wink and a smirk she placed her finger on the seat of his chair right in between his legs. Mösser was beginning to sweat and was worrying slightly if he was about to break his marriage vows. Gently Empusa placed her finger on his crotch and he felt a sudden jolt of an unusual tingling, and slowly Empusa dragged her finger upwards, over his fly, up his belt, hooking around the buttons of his blue uniform shirt, up to the knot of his tie, over his lips her finger lingered, she poked his nose and finally she ended the trail her finger took at the top of his head. She then pulled away with a smile, and showed to General Mösser that hooked on the same finger she used on him was a largish green circuit board dangling by a bead-chain.

General Seebert Mösser was about to voice a protest at this sight until he felt a drip of blood form at the tip of his nose, just as he was about to wipe the offending drip of crimson away he noticed a line of red was appearing vertically along his body, and then to his horror, something seemed to slip and his left and right sides were no longer joined or paralleled evenly. Strangely he felt no pain, just a sense of detachment as he heard Empusa say again with amusement tinging her voice, "Wish granted... but what a poorly worded wish it was..." and with that the two side of the general fell away from each other with a spray of blood painting the office, the chair, the desk, but not Empusa, in a fine coating of red.

Empusa just shook her head and brought the chip dangling from her finger up to her face for her inspection, as she regarded it she said, "Such a fuss over such a little thing too." she then stepped over the cooling chuncks of the generals corpse to make his wish final... as after all she wasn't supposed to have the chip until she was over his cold dead body... and then she lifted the cover off a plate on his desk and smiled, "oatmeal raisin, one of my favorite things to come about this last century." she said just before swiping some of the cookies the generals wife had baked, and without fanfare as she munched on a cookie and played with a circuit board that she'd killed to get, she casually walked through the wall...

A/N:

"Seebert Mösser is not the USAF General of the Joint Chiefs. No. That's a name I just made-up for this fiction.


End file.
